I've Got to See You Again
by siberia88
Summary: Sai is back! His past meddled with the present and his presence complicated things for Hikaru, Akira and Ogata. This is going to be yaoi slash shonen-ai. Ogata x Sai, Hikaru x Akira
1. Default Chapter

Summary: Sai is back! His past meddled with the present and his presence complicates things for Hikaru, Akira and Ogata.

Author's Note: This is going to be Yaoi / Shonen ai / Slash. Ogata Jyudan is my second favourite character (right after Sai!) in Hikaru no Go, but I hardly find any stories involving him, so I decided to try and make one! Of course, Hikaru and Akira are going to be the main characters as well. Please read & review! Thanks!

Additional Note: Thank you Aspar Lenis Lalapaya for being my beta reader!!

Part 1

_Wroom_

A red sports car zoomed past the deserted country road at a dangerous speed, with little care for safety. It was obvious that the driver was either drunk or in a very bad mood.

The latter applied in this case. Ogata Jyudan was rather unhappy. 'Extremely mad' would more accurately describe his current state of emotion- he was having one hell of a day. First, the dry cleaner messed up his expensive white suit; they had somehow accidentally dyed it with yellow spots. Next, his girlfriend dumped him, telling him the only thing he was good at was playing Go and he couldn't satisfy her. Finally, he had had a really bad game. He nearly lost to a kid. Hikaru was the name of that kid.

All in all, he wasn't in a good mood. That's why he was taking his sports car for a ride outside of the city and trying to break every speed limit that ever existed in the process.

Something suddenly caught his eyes.

A young man was walking alone on the deserted road.

The reason Ogata chose to come this way was because this stretch of road was almost completely empty. There was nothing along the way; no houses, no shops; a bare, ugly area with trees that were half dead and a muddy lake at the end of the road. There were very few cars travelling, let alone anyone walking along the road.

Ogata slowed down slightly as his curiosity was perked. Taking a few glances at the young man, Ogata couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. The man was dressed in a strange outfit, with a tall hat and long, white dress like those from the Heian era. His shoes, which should have been blue or green in colour, were already covered in so much mud that the colour was no longer visible; a sure sign that the man had been walking for hours.

"What a strange person…" before he finished his line of thoughts, the man suddenly stopped walking. Without any warning, the man collapsed face down onto the dust.

"Damn!" Ogata pulled his car to an emergency stop. The tires screeched loudly, protesting against the sudden change of velocity.

Getting out of the car, Ogata approached the man on the ground.

"Hey, are you ok?" Ogata touched the man's shoulder not too gently with his foot. He had read too many stories about traps luring travellers.

The man gave no response.

Ogata looked around. There might not be another car passing by for a few days. If he just left the man here… Who knew what would happen to him?

Heaving a heavy sigh, Ogata bent down to pull the man up. He was surprised at how light the man was.

"Hey, you…" Ogata gasped in surprise as he wiped the young man's long, purple hair out of his face, revealing a face prettier than that of any woman he had seen. Delicate features, almost too feminine to be a man… If not for the completely flat chest heaving up and down against him, Ogata would have certainly doubted the gender of this beauty.

"What's your name?" Ogata asked, this time with a much softer voice.

"Hm…?" the young man in his arms stirred, but didn't open his eyes.

"Who are you? An angel abandoned from heaven?" Ogata sighed again as he picked the man up and put him in the passenger's seat.

"Fujiwara… Fujiwara Sai…" the stranger mumbled, before falling out of awareness again.

Ogata stared at the unconscious man.

"… Sai…?"

That was a familiar name.

TBC …


	2. Chapter 2

Part 2

Notes: Paragraphs in_ italic_ are thoughts of Sai's past during the Heian era.

Hikaru was sitting in the middle of his room, with boxes of different sizes scattered around. He was packing and had almost completed this task. His clothes, books, magazines were all packed neatly into boxes already. The only thing left was his goban. Somehow, he left it to be the last item to be packed. His hands trailed over the goban with longing. _If I __could__ just play against him once more…_

Staring out at the window, Hikaru let his thoughts wander freely. _Sai, it has been two years since you left. I miss you so much, but I guess you're not coming back._

Two drops of tears fell on the goban. Hikaru quickly wiped his eyes, half surprised at himself that he still cried over this. Today was supposed to be the day he put down the past and moved on. He was moving out today. He had decided he was old enough to be independent. He really looked forward to moving into his new apartment and living with his new roommate: Akira.

Hikaru snickered at the thought. _It w__ill__ be interesting…_ The attraction was there. He knew it. Akira knew it. However, neither him nor Akira had made the confession yet. Maybe they were trying to see who would admit it first. It was their competitive nature that got them together in the first place after all. He had nearly spilt it out when he had asked Akira to "live with him". It was a weird moment as Akira waited for him to say more… but nothing came out.

Maybe it was time to move on. _Sai, I will always miss you, but I can't stay here forever waiting for a chance that I know doesn't exist. You are gone and you're not coming back._

X X XX X

_Little Sai__ about 10 years old__ was running around the house in excitement_

"_I will be going to the palace tomorrow! The palace!"_

"_Sai! Sai…" __h__is mother called him with a slightly worried expression on her face._

"_Yes, mother?" Sai immediately stopped in front of h__is__ mother_

"_I will have lots of chances to play Go. I will play with the Go sensei, the princes and even the emperor!"_

"_Sai, __the__ palace is a very different place…" Sai's mother sighed as she realized there wasn't a way to explain her worry to a little boy whose world resolved around goban and nothing else._

"_Just… be careful, ok? Sai. __y__ou're much too young to be parted from your parents and to go to live at a place like the palace__" Sai's mother said, "You will have no one to watch over you there…"_

"_I will be careful and I will be fine, I promis__e…__" Sai didn't understand his mother's worry__ but he nodded obediently._

X X XX X

"Ah…" the man lying on the bed groaned softly. Ogata put down his Go magazine and walked across the room.

"Hey you, are you ok?" he pushed the man gently. The man seemed to be trapped in some bad dream. He didn't expect the man to suddenly rise up and grab him into a tight embrace.

"I was scared… I was so scared…" the man mumbled in a trembling voice, blowing hot peppermint breath against Ogata's ears.

X X XX X

_Little Sai was scared. The palace wasn't what he __had__ expected. The first day that he __had__ arrived, he __had been__ sent to stay with the other __G__o players. There were other__ slightly older teenagers among them, and they decided to show him their "hospitality"._

_They carried him into the palace garden and threw him into the lake __there__. Naked. They called it the "welcome ceremony". It was nearly winter and the lake was cold. Little Sai shivered in the chilling water._

_That was not the end of it. Each of the boys had a toad in their hand__s_

"_Toads!" __li__ttle Sai screamed__ as toads after toads were thr__own__ at him. A big__ fat toad landed on his head and another one was making a jump for his face._

"_Hahaha! Look at him. Pathetic! He is crying like a baby__" __t__hey laughed, "Baby boy, or baby girl, seeing how you squealed like a girl, go home. We don't need a weakling at the palace here!"_

"_Help!" __l__ittle Sai cried frantically, wiggling around__ trying to get rid of the toads._

_Suddenly, a pair of strong arms pulled him out of the freezing water. __A__ hand picked up the toads on him and threw them into the lake. Then, removing his own cloak, he wrapped it around little Sai's naked body._

"_Who started this?" __a__ voice that commanded authority spoke coldly._

_It __was__ now the turn for the group of teenagers to be terrified and they shivered under the stern glare._

"_Hm.… we…we…"_

"_There __will__ better not be a next time__" __t__hose words carried the deadly promise that the consequences would be terrifying if this order __wouldn't be__ obeyed._

"_Yes, of course. It won't happen again__" __t__he teenagers all bowed and quickly removed themselves from the scene._

"_Are you ok, little one?"_

"_Huh?" Sai finally realized that question was directed at him. _

"_I'm not little and I'm fine__" __h__e pouted._

"_Oh yeah?" __t__he man raised an eyebrow and picked him up._

_Little Sai stole a glance at his savi__ou__r. The man was in his early twenties__, t__all, lean and quite handsome. He decided to trust this guy and rested his head comfortably against the other's chest._

"_Who are you?" __l__ittle Sai asked curiously._

"_Me? You don't know me?" __t__he man smiled, "Then you really don't know much about the politics around here."_

_Little Sai shook his head. What __were__ politics anyway? _

"_I only know about Go."_

"_Ah__ yeah, __the__ little genius whose whole world revolve__s__ around Go. I've heard of you__…__" _

_The man carried little Sai with ease and started walking towards where the Go players were staying._

"_I'm General Ogata."_

"_Oh? So you're a general__" __l__ittle Sai asked, "Are you good at Go?"_

"_Yeah, you can say that."_

"_Well, what are we waiting for? Let's play a game!" __l__ittle Sai beamed._

X X XX X

"Hey, hey, are you ok?" Ogata finally managed to untangle the man's death grip from him.

The man opened his eyes and blinked. Once again, Ogata found himself holding his breath as he watched those magical purple eyes staring back at him.

"Where … Where am I?" the man looked around, a genuinely confused expression on his face. His sight finally landed on Ogata and his eyes widened.

"Ogata Jyudan?"

"You know me?" Ogata asked, "… Sai…?"

Sai swallowed hard.

TBC…


	3. Chapter 3

Part 3

"Do you know me? Sai?"

The question hung in the air as Sai simply stared at the man in front of him. Tall and lean, with features that were considered handsome, if not a bit too cold… -Yes, he knew this man; Ogata Seiji Jyudan, one of the most talented Go players in modern days. He had met him numerous times. He even played him once through Hikaru. But somehow, Sai felt that there was something more about this man. There seemed to be a connection between this man and the dream he just had about the long gone past of his youthful days… What kind of connection? He couldn't quite place it…

"Have we met before…?" Ogata asked again, a little impatiently this time.

Realizing he had been gawking at the other in a most impolite manner, Sai looked away in embarrassment. His sight landed on a book thrown carelessly on the table nearby, which gave him an idea to provide a perfect answer to Ogata's question.

"Yes, well no," Sai finally answered, "I don't really know you. I just happen to see your face on the Go magazines sometimes, so I recognized you."

"Oh… So you play Go?"

"Of course!" Sai answered in indignation, as if suggesting otherwise was an insult to him.

"Did you, by any chance, play Go on the internet?"

"In-ter-net? What is that?" Sai blinked.

"You don't know Internet?" Ogata stared at Sai for a good few seconds. This was the technological era, after all. Did this person live in some super remote area that was completely separated from the modern world? It was not unusual for Go professionals to be ignorant of technology, but to the point of not knowing what "Internet" was? That would be a little too much.

"In-ter-net… Inter-net…" Sai tried to recall this term.

"I remember! It's the square box with lots of invisible players!"

Sai regretted immediately that those words left his mouth, because he could see the astonishment on Ogata's face. Biting down on his lips, he reminded himself to act like a person born in this era.

"No, I have never played Go over the In-ter-net," Sai pronounced the foreign term carefully.

"Oh really?" Ogata shrugged, "There was a great Go player called Sai who only appeared on the Internet. I thought you might be him."

"Sai is a common name," Sai smiled.

Ogata had no reason to dispute that. He himself thought it too much of a coincidence if this guy that he had picked up out of nowhere indeed happened to be the "God of Go" on the Internet. He didn't even know what made him ask that question in the first place.

"Hn, look at me, I nearly forgot the doctor's instructions," Ogata sighed, "You are to have some light food and fluid immediately after you are awake. Let me get that and then we can talk."

Ogata made a phone call and minutes later, some food was brought to the room.

"Here, have a little porridge first," Ogata handed him a bowl.

Sai merely stared at the food.

"It's not poisoned, you know," Ogata joked.

"Huh? Oh, oh yeah. Sorry," Sai apologized, "It's just that I haven't eaten any food in a thousand years… It's kind of –strange—to start eating again."

"A thousand years, huh? That's a little different than what the doctor diagnosed," Ogata corked an eyebrow, "The doctor said you fainted on the roadside because you haven't eaten anything for two days."

"Two days?" Sai repeated.

"Yeah, but don't worry, the hotel doctor said you are ok. You simply collapsed from exhaustion," Ogata explained, "Back to your question earlier, we are at a hotel near the outskirt of Kyoto. It's about 4 hours from Tokyo. This is the nearest place I can bring you to for medical attention."

"Kyoto…" Sai thought for a second, "Is that Heian Kyo?"

"Heian Kyo?" Ogata frowned. Most people might not even recognize this name, unless they knew something about the history of Japan, as this city had long since adapted the name of Kyoto and had abandoned the name of Heian Kyo. Ogata was of course familiar with Japanese history.

"Yes, Kyoto was called Heian Kyo, in the Heian era, about 1000 years ago."

1000 years? Ogata's heart skipped a beat. Didn't this guy just mention he hadn't eaten in a thousand years?

"Yeah…Kyoto… That's what it's called now. I remember," Sai nodded slowly.

_This guy is definitely strange_ Ogata decided, as his suspicion grew with each passing minute. Who would refer to Kyoto as Heian Kyo nowadays?

Sai squirmed uneasily under Ogata's intense scrutiny.

"Come to think of it…" Ogata took a step closer, while Sai tried to shrink back further into the bed. "Why are you dressed like that? That looks like a costume from Heian era."

Unable to answer, Sai decided to ignore that question and start to work on the porridge in front of him.

"Why were you walking on that stretch of road?" Ogata wasn't about to let it rest until he received some answers.

"You were really lucky that I was driving by, or else you might still be lying on the muddy ground. That place is totally deserted. There is nothing but a lake at the end of the road."

"… A lake?" Sai was as confused as Ogata.

"Yeah. Were you trying to get to the lake?" Ogata asked.

"But why would you want to go there? That lake isn't beautiful… The only thing that lake is good for is for people who want to commit suicide to drown themselves there!"

Sai looked up sharply at this.

"You weren't, were you?" Ogata was shocked. Did he accidentally save a man who had been trying to kill himself?

Sai couldn't answer.

Unpleasant memories rushed back like waves hitting a shore.

X X XX X

_Despair._

_Hopelessness._

_Desperation._

_Those were Sai's feelings as he kept walking aimlessly. His feet had long __since__ gone num__b__, but he kept putting one foot in front of the other. He had not stopped for rest, or food, or water. He kept on walking … __A__way from the palace, away from the city, away from the place that was once his pride and now held nothing but unbearable shame._

_For two days, he walked. His body grew weaker as well as his will to live. At the end of the 2nd day, he reached a lake. Th__is__ was supposed to be the end of the story of his live…_

X X XX X

"Hey!"

Sai shook himself, blending out of the past and focusing on the present.

"You phased out for a minute," Ogata said quietly, "I will go get the doctor now."

"No, I'm fine… I think… I wasn't trying to kill myself if that's what you're worried about," Sai answered. _Not anymore, at least._

If Ogata wasn't convinced, he didn't voice his opinion.

Sai was thinking hard of his current situation.

_I was given back my life, or rather, my body right before I committed suicide. I was even placed at the same location; except __the__ tim__e__ h__as__ fl__own__ past a thousand years in between._

_But why? Why was I sen__t__ back? And this time with a body? Was it for me to live out the life that I would have if I __wouldn't have__ committed suicide? I thought the purpose of my life had been fulfilled…_

Could it be…? Hikaru needed him again? Maybe kami-sama had sent him back to help Hikaru some more?

The thought of seeing Hikaru sent a spark of joy through Sai.

"Please take me back to Tokyo immediately!" Sai said abruptly without much thought, "I need to see Hikaru!"

"I assume you mean Shindo Hikaru?" Ogata didn't seem surprised to hear that name.

Sai suddenly wondered how much this man seated in front of him knew, or guessed. It didn't matter at the moment; as long as he would get him to Hikaru.

TBC…


	4. Chapter 4

Part 4

"This should be put here! No, no, not over there! I want it closer to the door!"

"That looks bad! Hikaru, you have no interior design potential at all!"

"Oh really? I don't think so. You are the one without any taste, Akira! "

The situation in the small apartment could only be described as chaotic. Boxes and furniture were scattered around the place. In the middle of the room, two teenagers about the same height were shooting daggers at each other. Their arms were crossed tightly over their chests and neither was willing to back down in the heated argument, regarding where on the kitchen wall the wall clock should be displayed.

"Good gosh! Are you guys quarrelling again?" someone poked his head into the apartment.

"Waya, you're here! Tell Akira my decision is better," Hikaru waved his friend into the house. "Don't you think this clock is just perfect for this spot?"

"I won't barge in between you guys," Waya handed Hikaru a package of take-out sushi he bought for them and tried to find a spot on the floor to sit down.

"By the way, I think that clock looks really ugly. Who bought it anyway?"

"It's a house warming gift from me," a voice spoke quietly from behind.

"Isumi? When did you get here?" Waya jumped at the comment and turned around to see his good friend's slightly hurt face.

"Eh… The clock actually looks pretty good. I was just trying to help those two to cease the fire by changing their focus, you know…"

Waya could hear Hikaru snickering behind him.

"Hikaru! This is entirely your fault! You shouldn't have left the front door open like that, just about anybody could walk in! Don't you know the first rule of living by yourself is to be aware of safety?" Waya pointed his finger at Hikaru, who continued to snicker.

"Akira, I think you should totally put the clock wherever you want. I support your decision!"

Akira smiled and proceeded to hang up the clock. Hikaru made a small whimpering noise, but didn't disagree. In fact, he wasn't paying much attention to the clock at the moment. His eyes were unconsciously checking out Akira's bodyline as the other stood on the stool, both hands reaching high, trying to hang up the clock.

_Very, very nice line._ _It would be even better if Akira __would be__ wear__ing__ a shorter shirt that will leave more skin exposed when his hands re__ach__ up high like that…_

Waya and Isumi looked at each other and shook their heads discreetly. The dreamy expression on Hikaru's face was as plain as a day, yet the Go genius still believed that his feelings for the other Go prodigy were well hidden. However, neither Waya nor Isumi were willing to point that out to them. It was quite funny to watch how both of them tried to suppress their feelings!

With Waya's and Isumi's help, the apartment appeared to be a lot tidier after a few hours. Finally, they all sat down on the floor, each of them grabbing a beer and enjoying the sushi Waya brought.

"Congratulations, Hikaru! You are now independent! Cheers!" Waya raised his can of beer.

"Cheers!"

Taking a big gulp, Hikaru grinned sheepishly.

"I couldn't have afforded the apartment by myself. It's a good thing that I found myself a roommate."

"I was a bit surprised when I heard that Akira is going to be your roommate," Isumi said.

"Well, with both of my parents staying in China almost all year round, it's getting a bit too quiet staying alone in the big house," Akira answered. Giving Hikaru a glance, he continued.

"Besides, Hikaru needs someone wiser to live with him. I'm afraid that, if he would be living alone, he would miss the tournament date."

"Wow that's so sweet, Akira, moving in with Hikaru to 'take care' of him, eh?" Waya teased.

Akira blushed, but quickly regained his composure.

"I just didn't want him to start missing out on the competitions again like he did that one spring season before."

Immediately all three of them realized Akira had said the wrong thing. No one knew what had happened during that few months of spring, but they knew Hikaru well enough to know that the quickest way to get the normally hyperactive and cheerful guy to sombre down was to mention that incident.

"Er… Hikaru… I didn't…"

"Don't worry about it!" Hikaru forced a smile onto his face, "Hey, maybe I forget some unimportant due dates once in a while, but I will never miss a game date! Akira, you're just afraid of me and hope that I will forget, aren't you?"

"Who's afraid of you here?" Akira was glad Hikaru didn't seem too upset.

"Why don't we play a game now?" Waya and Isumi were just as relieved.

"I'm going to be the one who will win for sure! Hahaha!"

The merry mood was restored and the celebration of the move continued until late into the night.

Standing at the door, Hikaru watched as Isumi and Waya took their leave. Waving goodbye to his friends, he couldn't help but think about the one person that meant so much to him, yet he would never see him again. The smile froze on his face. Sadness came crushing down on his chest. Tears threatened to fall. _Sai, I miss you… I miss you… _

However, his thoughts were interrupted by a voice behind him.

"Hikaru, goodnight," Akira yawned and walked into his bedroom.

"Goodnight, Akira," a small smile appeared on Hikaru's face as he closed the front door. He was not alone. Akira would be sleeping just next door and he wouldn't disappear until the morning.

_Goodnight, Sai__…_

X X X X X

"I think I'm fine," Sai insisted.

"You are not well enough to travel yet," Ogata was losing his patience. Why was this guy so stubborn? Yes, he knew Sai really wanted to see Hikaru. He would be more than happy to deliver Sai to Hikaru and be rid of this mysterious man. However, the doctor had ordered Sai to stay in bed for another day. Besides, the man looked too pale. The welfare of this man shouldn't bother him, but somehow, it did.

"I really want to go to Tokyo. Now. Please!" Sai begged with his puppy eyes. Hikaru needed him, now! He could sense it!

"No, the doctor said you're to rest for another day."

Sai opened his mouth to protest, but Ogata beat him to it.

"That's the end of the argument- or you can always find your own way to Tokyo."

"Alright, I can't win this argument. I will stay for another night, since it is for my own good. Thank you for being so concerned about my well-being," sarcasm laced the tone.

"You're welcome," Ogata answered, completely unmoved.

"You remind me so much of my old lov… er… a friend of mine," Sai sulked.

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah…" Sai was slightly distracted. Those memories should have been long since forgotten… It had been a thousand years, after all…

X X X X X

_100__0 A__C._

_The city of Heian Kyo was bustling with life. Two teenagers were walking down the busy streets side by side._

"_It fe__els__ good to be out of the palace wall__s__ sometimes, don't you think?" __t__he younger of the two, around 14-15 years old, said. He sighed in content as he felt the gentle wind fli__p__ against his face, swirling through his shoulder__-__length purple hair._

_In a__ contras__t__ to his relaxed state, the older boy standing beside him looked nervous and jumpy._

"_Yeah, I'm sure you're enjoying yourself, but if the General finds out that you sneaked out of the palace without him knowing, he won't be happy, Sai__" __h__e warned._

"_He just c__an__'t be allowed to find out then, __right__, Kimihiro?" Sai winked. It had been 5 years since he __had__ started living in the palace as a Go expert. He was now one of the top Go players__ despite his young age. He had also developed a friendship with General Ogata, the 2nd most powerful person next to the Emperor, who __had__ saved him during his first day on palace ground__s_

"_I appreciate his concern for my welfare and safety, you know," Sai said, "But he overreacts sometimes. He is like a mother hen; hovering over me, trying to protect me or something. I'm not __a__ prince or __a__ princess. I won't break. I am a normal teenager who would very much like to play Go with someone __else__ than the opponents I found in the palace. I want to achieve the hand of god and the only way to do that is __to keep__ playing Go with different people."_

_Kimihiro looked at Sai in admiration. This wasn't the first time the young prodigy had expressed his desire to attend the hand of god. Kimihiro himself was also a Go player, whom Sai had beaten countless times. He admired Sai's ability and ambition__ as he himself was lacking in both. This was the main reason for him to help Sai __to__ snea__k__ out under __the eyes of the__ watchful servants__ despite __his__ fear of __being__ punish__ed__by__ the General._

"_Well then, where should we __go to__?"_

"_You __wouldn't be able to__ gues__s,__" Sai grinned. _

"_I heard a rumo__u__r that there's a fantastic __G__o player__who__ appear__s__ at the deserted temple by the river__ just outside of the city wall.__"_

_Kimihiro was quiet for a few minutes._

"_You are out of your mind, Sai__ That __is__ just a rumo__u__r and__ more importantly, that wasn't the only rumo__u__r. From what I have heard, that place is not safe. Some people disappeared around that area and were never found again."_

"_Yeah, yeah, those were nonsense, rumo__u__rs without any base__" Sai dismissed Kimihiro's concern and quickened his pace._

"_As if the rumo__u__r __of the__ good Go playe__r__ has solid proof__" Kimihiro muttered__ but __he__ knew that the Go genius wo__uldn't__ be listening to him._

_By the time they reached the deserted temple, the daylight was dim and the night was settling in. The whole place __radiated__ a sense of eeriness._

"_This place is creepy__" Kimihiro murmured._

"_Well… __L__et's hope the __G__o player is here__…__" Sai had to agree__ this place was a bit too creepy, even for him. But as long as he g__ot__ to play Go, everything w__ould__ be worth it._

_The two teenagers entered the temple ruin. They c__ould__ barely make out the inside of the temple, but one thing they were sure __of was that__ it didn't look like anyone __was h__ere._

"_I __worked__ so hard to sneak out and I d__on't__ even get to play Go! Gosh__ I'm mad!" Sai was extremely upset. He had been looking forward to this._

"_Well, next time you shouldn't believe unreliable rumo__u__rs!" Kimihiro advised._

"_This is so unfair!" Sai kicked the stone statue beside him._

"_Tsk tsk, what do we have here?"_

_Both of them jumped as a voice appeared out of nowhere._

"_Two teenagers… Didn't anyone warn you __that__ this is not a place for __the__ youth to be wondering around…?" __t__he voice was closer this time, as if whoever __was__ speaking had moved nearer soundlessly._

"_I'm merely looking for a worthy Go opponent__" Sai found __the__ courage to speak of the reason he was here._

"_Oh? Go…?" __t__he voice seemed intrigued. A shadowy figure slowly formed in front of them. Sai could only see two yellow eyes staring at him. He couldn't quite make out the rest of the form of the __**thing**__ in front of him._

"_This… isn't human__" Kimihiro murmured against Sai's ears._

_The thing smiled. Sai and Kimihiro couldn't even see its face, but they both felt the laughter._

"_You got that right, boys! I'm no human; too bad you two chose to w__a__nder into my territory__ You will be my food__…__"_

_Hundreds of folk tales rushed through Sai's mind. The stories he had heard about when he was living __at__ the countryside with his parents, as well as the scary tales exchanged during late hours of boredom behind the palace walls. There was fear, but instead of succumbing to panic, he found himself asking the most important question to him._

"_Are you as good a Go player as they sa__y__ you are?"_

"_Yes__" __t__he answer came after a few seconds, as if __it was__ surprised __by__ the question._

"_Play. Let's play Go__" Sai challenged, "If you win, eat me, do whatever you want with me, I don't care. If I win, let us go."_

"_Ah, but I can eat both of you right now__ What makes you think I __will__ have a game with you?" __t__he voice drew closer. Sai could feel __h__ot breath against his face._

"_Are you afraid of a challenge? Perhaps you fear __to__ b__e__ beaten by your 'food'."_

"_Interesting boy__"_

_The__ shape of __a__ man slowly materialized in front of them. He looked like a normal young, handsome man. The only thing that gave away that he wasn't quite human was the pair of yellow eyes._

"_Alright, let's play. If you win, I __wil__l let both of you go. If I win, I get to do whatever I want with you."_

"_Deal__"_

TBC…


	5. Chapter 5

Part 5

Notes: Paragraphs in italics are thoughts of Sai's past during Heian era.

X X X X X

_Behind the tall palace wall__s__, a group of servants trembled in fright on the floor._

"_Please forgive us, General Ogata__" __o__ne of them begged, "Please… please…"_

_A fist slammed onto the table, followed by a roar_

"_Didn't I tell you, all of you, not to let him go wandering around the city alone? What if something __were to__ happe__n__ to him?"_

"_Gather a group of guards immediately. I will go look for him myself__" __h__e commanded, standing up._

"_When I get my hands on him, he __will__ be taught some obedience!" __h__e muttered to himself._

X X X X X

_Flickers of lights glimmered at the cent__re__ of the temple __ruin_

_Two opponents sat __there,__ facing each other. A goban was placed in between._

_Kimihiro swallowed hard__ watching the two. A game of life and death, literally, was going on. The man, or whatever __he__ was, had a smug look on his face. __The__ message was clear in his unnaturally glowing yellow eyes__ he didn't think the mere boy in front of him had the ability to beat him in a game._

_Sai, on the other hand, was completely rid of any emotion. Kimihiro couldn't read his friend. __His__ face was composed and guarded. A "game" face, one that Sai reserved for __his__ best opponents. Kimihiro had seldom seen this face being displayed, especially lately._

_Since he couldn't read Sai's emotion__s__, Kimihiro concentrated on watching Sai's opponent instead. As the game progressed, he wondered if he was merely hoping for the best__ or if he was actually seeing the superior look in the yellow eyes slowly chang__ing__ to something akin to astonishment, then disbelief._

"_Sai__ you must win… must win… must win… please win…" Kimihiro closed his eyes and started chanting._

_Time slowly passed by. Kimihiro heard the noise of stones being moved around; he opened his eyes and saw that the game was over. Both opponents were moving the stones around for easier counting._

"_Fifty-three… Sixty…" __p__ausing, Sai looked up at his opponent and beamed_

"_65 to 64__…__ I win, d__on't__ I?"_

_The man/monster looked at the goban in disbelief._

"_Thank you for the game__" Sai bowed slightly, smiling once again. It had been a tough game. At one point, he didn't even think he could win. But he __had done__ it. He had challenged a great __G__o player and he came out winning, while saving both Kimihiro__'s__ and his li__fe_

"_So, can I go now… Mr…?"_

"_You can call me Haraguroi."_

"_Well, Haraguroi-san, my friend and I should be leaving then__" Sai was ready to get up __as__ a hand caught his wrist and stopped him. Looking down, he saw it was Haraguroi who had stopped him and there __was__ a mischievous glint in the yellow eyes that he didn't like._

"_Where do you think you're going?"_

"_Didn't we agree that you would let both of us go if I win the game?" Sai answered._

"_Yes… I did, but I didn't say I would let you go __**NOW**__. I meant __that I would__ let you guys go afterwards."_

"_Afterwards?" Kimihiro asked incredulously._

"_Yes, afterwards. I will let you go, as promised, but since you didn't specify 'WHEN'__ it's up to me to interpret__" Haraguroi said slyly._

"_You are low!" Sai c__ouldn't__ believe what he was hearing. This Haraguroi guy was obviously playing __with__ the words, but only now __did__ Sai realiz__e__ how unequal their terms had been. If he __would have__ lost, Haraguroi __could have done__ "whatever he wants with him" and his term for Haraguroi __had been__ to "let both of them go". Obviously it would have been better if he __would__ ha__ve__ mentioned "now" when stating the term._

"_What do you want from me?" Sai glowered._

"_What else? To stay here and play __G__o with me__" Haraguroi grinned, reaching out with one hand and tip__ping__ Sai's face up._

"_I haven't had a good game with a human for a very long time and I have definitely not __been__ beaten by __any__ human in a game before. You would be a good company to keep around for entertainment… __B__esides… you are quite… pretty…"_

_The way Haraguroi said the word "pretty" suddenly sent a chill down Sai's spine. Slapping away the hand that held him, he stared at Haraguroi in anger._

"_I'm not going to eat you. Well, not in that way anyway__" Haraguroi frowned at Sai's fierce stare__ "I'll let you guys go, ok? After I g__et__ tired of playing with you two little human__s__."_

"_And what are you? An insect without hono__u__r that play__s__ tricks to avoid hono__u__ring the terms of a fair game? One that wouldn't admit its own defeat?"_ _a__ quiet voice suddenly joined in._

_All three turned __around__ and __they__ saw a figure in white__ walking through the door and slowly approaching __them__. Anger seemed to radiate from the tall form._

"_Ogata!" "General!"_ _b__oth Sai and Kimihiro cheered._

_General Ogata stopped when he was a few feet __away__ from Haraguroi and looked straight into the yellow eyes._

_Haraguroi's smile turned into something hateful._

"_Well, well, well… General Ogata. Coming to save your little lover?"_

_General Ogata didn't answer. H__is__ hands__ however, tightened slightly on the sword he was holding._

_Haraguroi glanced towards the sword and the smile was gone. He knew that sword. There __were__ not many ways __to kill him__, but certainly__ this ancient sword was something he needed to avoid._

"_Fine, I will leave your little __toy boy__ to you, General."_

_Dissolving into shadow__s__, Haraguroi disappeared into the thin air._

_Both Sai and Kimihiro stared into empty space, still trying to decide if it had all been a dream._

"_You __are__ better able to explain yourself, Sai__"_ _t__he cold voice brought them back to reality and Sai suddenly wondered if he would have been better off at the mercy of a monster than __in__ the hand__s__ of a pissed off __G__eneral Ogata._

"_Please, Ogata, I truly didn't imagine something like this would happ__en!__" Sai started __to__ explai__n__, but a pair of strong arms pulled him into a hard chest. He was stunned __by that and__ silenced._

"_Don't do that to me __again__. I nearly lost you to a monster__…__" __t__he arms tightened around him._

"_Ogata…" Sai buried his face into the chest and muttered, "I'm sorry. I won't do __it__ again."_

"_Eh…" Kimihiro stared in aw__e__. He knew for a fact that Sai was very close to the __G__eneral, but seeing the usually cold and reserved General soothing Sai's long hair gently__ as if touching a precious ge__m__, just seemed way too strange._

_Noticing the questioning gaze from Kimihiro, General Ogata straightened himself and let go of Sai._

"_You are in very BIG trouble, Sai__…__"_

XXX

"You wouldn't let me go anywhere for a month after that…" Sai muttered, looking dejected.

"Excuse me? Are you talking to me?" Ogata put his magazine down and looked at the figure in the bed. He had forced the other to rest in bed and he himself was staying close to keep an eye on him.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Oh…" Sai blinked.

"I was just talking to myself. I didn't mean you. Sorry."

_What was I saying? Am I confusing the past with the present? Maybe I'm finally going crazy after a thousand years…_

TBC…


	6. Chapter 6

Part 6

It was a beautiful morning with a blue sky and bright sunshine.

Sai sat on the bed, staring out at the window. He had woken up about an hour ago and had found himself alone in the room. Ogata was nowhere to be found.

He couldn't help but feel a sense of helplessness. What was he going to do if Ogata had just left him here? This was not his era. Despite having lived a few years "with" Hikaru, he never had had a body at that time. Now, everything was different.

"You're up?" someone entered the room.

"Ogata!" Sai beamed. He knew Ogata wouldn't abandon him here!

A shopping bag was dropped onto the bed.

"Here are some clothes for you," Ogata gestured, "I'm not having someone dressed in those Heian costume riding my car again."

"Thanks," Sai merely smiled and picked up the clothes. There were a white linen shirt and a pair of blue jeans.

Without much thought, Sai began undressing.

Ogata pulled out a cigarette and started smoking. It would appear that he was looking at the window and giving the other guy some privacy, however, it wasn't too hard to realize that he was actually looking at the reflection of the person changing behind him in the window.

_His__ skin __is__ smooth… and pale… as if __he__ had not seen sunlight for a very long period of time. It __is__ beautiful… __L__ike a marble statue of some ancient Greek go__d…_ Ogata found his eyes lingering over the torso.

"How long are you going to keep staring at me?" a voice asked almost lazily, shocking Ogata out of his thoughts. Sai was looking at him with a slight smile on his face.

"E-hem," Ogata coughed to cover up his embarrassment of being caught red handed.

"Let's go."

X X X

There were not too many people at the Go Institute on a Saturday afternoon.

Inside one of the practice rooms, Akira and Hikaru sat side by side. There were piles of documents in front of them.

"Ah… It takes so long to finish this…" Hikaru complained. They were both working on copying some Go-related materials.

"Well, I'm almost done," Akira said, putting away the material that he had completed and taking up a new one.

"Akira you are fast…and your handwriting is so neat!" Hikaru muttered.

"Mine is so ugly compared to yours… I wonder if they care… By the way, what are you doing next weekend?"

"Yours is ugly compared to anyone… But the Institute people are probably used to your ugly handwriting by now… No… I don't have any plans for next weekend."

"Hey, that was mean!… Well, I hope they don't deduct my salary because my handwritings are bad… You know, those people that think that a Go Pro should have good handwritings. I don't even know what gives them that impression… Hm… You like Gackt's music, right?"

Akira stopped for a brief second, then quickly resumed his work.

"Most Go Professionals do have good handwritings though… You're an exception… Yes, I like Gackt's music."

"Well, what does handwriting matter as long as I can play Go? …The ability to play Go has nothing to do with good handwriting… Don't you think? Oh, I happen to have tickets to Gackt's concert next weekend. Would you like to go with me?"

"I guess you're right. You certainly have proven that writing skill has nothing to do with playing Go. You have tickets for the sold out concert? Sure, we can go together…" After a pause, "So, it's a **DATE** then?"

"Huh?"

Hikaru looked up this time. Akira didn't. He continued to copy the Go materials as if what he said was just part of their "normal" conversation. Outwards, he appeared to be totally cool, but Hikaru knew better. He could tell Akira was nervous by the way his knuckles turned white from holding the pen too tightly.

Hikaru couldn't help but smile. He himself had had the concert tickets in his pocket for hours before he brought up enough courage to ask through a pretended, "normal" conversation. The concert tickets were probably a bit ragged and soiled with sweat as he had held them in his hands for hours.

"Yes, a date," Hikaru nodded. He watched Akira loosen his hold on the pen and the expression on Akira's face was just too cute.

_Maybe I should just be the one to confess first. This is not a Go game. There's no winner or l__o__ser._

"Akira, I… I…"

"Yes?" Akira did put down his pen this time and looked at Hikaru almost expectantly.

_Just say it!_ Hikaru swallowed and tried again.

"Akira, I lik…"

The door was opened at this very moment and a few other pros entered.

_Damn! Bad timing…_

"Hikaru! Akira!" Waya greeted them.

Noticing the silent stares both were giving him, Waya had a feeling he had just interrupted something important.

Putting up a big smile, Waya winked.

"Hey, just continue when you guys get home, ok? No need to give me a death stare!"

"What are you talking about, Waya?!" Hikaru protested.

"Nothing, nothing at all," Waya sat down in front of Hikaru and Akira.

"Anyway, Ogata-sensei seemed to be looking for you, Hikaru."

"Ogata-Jyudan?" Hikaru was a bit surprised.

"Why would Ogata-sensei be looking for me?"

Waya shrugged. Kadowaki, who was once beaten by Sai/Hikaru and subsequently postponed to take the professional exams, sat down beside them with a dreamy look on his face.

"What's going on with you?" Hikaru asked curiously.

"Don't disturb him. His heart has just been stolen by a beauty, a.k.a Ogata-sensei's **DATE**!"

"That's not Ogata-sensei's date. I'm sure they are just friends! I still have a chance!" Kadowaki rebuked fiercely.

"Hey, hey, hey, hold on. What are you guys talking about?" Hikaru asked as he tidied up his work.

"We were discussing this "friend" Ogata Sensei brought with him," Waya answered.

"That person has to be a model or a movie star. He's the most beautiful person I have ever seen. Kadowaki here is completely swept off his feet!"

"Ogata-sensei brought his girlfriend here?" Akira was a bit curious, as Ogata Jyudan never brought any woman to the Go Institute, despite it being an open secret that Ogata was a womaniser with his good looks and money.

"We don't know. He didn't actually introduce the friend to us… how rude!" Kadowaki added.

"By the way, it's not a woman. It's a guy who is prettier than any woman that I have seen…"

"Oh?" both Akira and Hikaru were surprised.

"Yep… A very beautiful man… with long purple hair... and…" Kadowaki said.

_LONG PURPLE HAIR?_

Hikaru suddenly stood up.

"Hikaru?"

Kadowaki, Waya and Akira looked up in surprise at Hikaru, but their friend was not paying them any attention.

"Where are they?" Hikaru grabbed Waya's collar. The urgency in his voice shocked them.

"They were at the general hallway just now," Waya replied.

Without another word, Hikaru rushed out of the room. He didn't even put on his shoes as he ran towards the elevator.

"What's going on with him?" Waya asked. Akira could only shake his head.

"Let's go to see what's wrong, ne?"

X X X

"Hey, hey, are you alright?"

Hikaru rushed out of the elevator and nearly fell on the floor. The bystander asked if he was ok, but he wasn't paying any attention. His eyes searched the area franticly for a familiar sight.

Then, he found it.

There. Standing by the fish tank, currently bending down to look at the fish. The long purple hair hung loosely over his back.

"S…a…i…?" Hikaru whispered, he couldn't quite find his voice. _Please don't let this be an illusion._

The man seemed to hear the soft call of his name. Slowly, he turned around.

Hikaru stared at the figure in front of him. Loose white shirt and a pair of jeans- he no longer wore the tall hat or the long Heian dress, but there was that same smile. And the eyes that understood and cared about him.

Sai stood there. Right in front of him.

Tears started to roll down his cheeks.

"SAI!" a short, breathless scream filled with over boiling emotion, two years of loneliness and sadness all loaded into this one scream of the name.

Sai opened his arms.

Without waiting for another second, Hikaru rushed forward into the embrace he longed for and missed. Tears fell freely as he buried his face onto the familiar chest.

"Sai… Sai…"

_You're back._

TBC…

Note: Finally, Sai met Hikaru! Please review! Thanks :)


	7. Chapter 7

Part 7

The general hallway of the Go Institute was silent. The only sound echoing through the walls was Hikaru's sobbing and Sai's soft murmuring of soothing words to the boy in his arms. The pair drew all attention to them, yet they remained in the embrace of each other as if oblivious to the whole world around them.

"Hikaru, you cry baby…" Sai slowly loosened his hold on Hikaru and with one hand he gently wiped away the tears on the teenager's face. He took a good look at the boy in front of him. Hikaru had grown up quite a bit; was much taller than he last remembered although still a few inches shorter than him. Hikaru definitely no longer resembled the little boy he was when they first met, but at this moment, with his tears stricken face, he looked as young and as vulnerable as the day they first encountered.

"Whose fault might it be if I have indeed become a cry baby?" Hikaru's voice was hoarse from crying as he wiped his face hurriedly. The answer might have been meant as a witty rebuke, but Sai could clearly hear the sorrow and grief his sudden disappearance two years ago had caused his young friend.

"Oh Hikaru… How can I make it up to you…" He sighed, wishing there was some miracles he could perform that can erase the misery during his absence.

"Just … don't disappear like that, again. Ever." Hikaru sniffed. There was a big smile on his face, yet he couldn't quite stop crying, "I didn't mean to cry like this…" He muttered sluggishly. Sai hugged the boy close to himself once again, providing the physical comfort as well as the solid assurance of his presence that he wasn't able to give before.

The others had been watching this whole "reunion" unfolding in front of them; each with a different question and reaction of their own. Some bystanders couldn't help feeling they were intriguing upon a private moment, yet none made any move to leave the scene.

"Excuse me, I don't meant to be nosy or interrupting or something, but Hikaru, is this THE LEGENDARY SAI?" Surprisingly, the first person that broke the silence was Kurata Roku-dan. Perhaps it wasn't as unexpected, since he was never one to hold his tongue for too long.

"Huh?" Reality finally came back to Hikaru as he realized they had been the center of attention all this time, and obviously Sai wasn't invisible anymore.

"You can see him?" Still, he couldn't help but asked. Seeing Sai used to be HIS privilege.

"Eh… I'm not blind, Hikaru. And he is not invisible. In fact, he kind of stands out. So, yeah, I can see him." Kurata Roku-dan replied with an incredulous tone.

_Sai, what had happened? How did you "reappear"? What are you now? What am I supposed to say? They will want to know some answers._

Millions of questions swirled through Hikaru's head, but it all boiled down to one fact: _Sai is back_. He felt like his chest was about to explode with joy, and thinking about how to answer those questions was the last thing on his mind.

"Hikaru?" Kurata Roku-dan was still waiting for an answer, as was everybody else.

Sensing that Hikaru was not about to answer any question, Sai sighed and politely intercepted himself between Kurata Roku-dan and Hikaru.

"I'm Sai," Sai said, "Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too. So are you the Sai from Internet?" Kurata Roku-dan asked enthusiastically. Could this be the mystery man that had beaten Touya Meiji? If so, he would very much like to play against him.

Sai looked at Hikaru for a brief second, then answered, "I'm sorry but I think Hikaru and I need some time alone. I apologized for having caused a scene here, but we have not seen each other for a very long time. Kurata Roku-dan-san, I'm sure you will understand that we would like to take our leave now. See you later." Not giving Kurata Roku-dan any opportunity to object, he turned around and asked Hikaru, "Should we go back to our home?"

"Of course, let's go." Hikaru answered automatically. He had so many questions himself, and just the thought Sai beside him sent sparks of joy through his heart. He wasn't about to stay here to entertain these nonessential people.

"See you." Sai nodded to the crowd beside him and the two swiftly left the building before anyone had a chance to stop them.

A few seconds passed after the two had left, people started to go about doing what they were originally doing, although whispers could be heard here and there, and several were making phone calls, no doubt calling friends about the potential appearance of the legendary "Internet Sai".

Waya was one of the few that were completely shocked. He had suspected Hikaru knew Sai, but as years passed, he had forgotten about this. Scratching his head, he muttered to the person next to him, "Geez That has to be Sai from the Internet. I always knew that Hikaru was related with him somehow, don't you think?"

The person next to him didn't give him any answer. Waya turned around, and realized it was Akira standing next to him. Frigid like a stone statue.

_Oops._

"Hey Akira, Akira? Are you ok?"

Akira was not paying Waya any attention. In fact, he was still stunned by the display just now. _Hikaru… with another man; a man with an angelic face. _And judging from the way they held each other, the way Hikaru screamed his name, the way Hikaru simply radiated joy looking at him; he couldn't help but feel… beaten. He had lost although he didn't even know why or how. This feeling crushed on him like heavy weights.

Then, this Sai asked Hikaru to go "home", and Hikaru gladly agreed. Home? Akira had thought the new apartment he and Hikaru were sharing would be their "home". Was he mistaken? Certainly Hikaru shouldn't be sharing any "home" with Sai? Akira thought miserably.

And whydid they need "time alone"? If they were already hugging each other as tightly as two pack of gum glue together in public, what would they be doing when they were ALONE? Akira shook his head, trying to shake off the mental image he just created with difficulty. Those images turned his stomach upside down, and created a burning desire of hatred so strong that was shocking and unfamiliar to him…

"Akira," Someone put a hand on his shoulder, and a slight shook brought him out of his trance. Looking up, it was Ogata, who had silently appeared behind him.

"Ogata-sensei," Akira bowed his head.

"Don't look so defeated, Akira." Ogata said, starting to smoke a cigarette. "Come, let me give you a ride _home_".

There was an anger underlying in Ogata's quiet tone that Akira couldn't quite grasp, but somehow he felt strangely identifying with Ogata at this moment and nodded agreeably.

_Let's go HOME and find out what's going on._

TBC...

Note: Thanks for the reviews! They were helpful and certainly motivate me to keep writing. Thanks!


	8. Chapter 8

Part 8

Notes: Paragraphs in_ italic_ are thoughts or Sai's past during Heian era.

"You moved."

That was Sai's first comment as he entered the little apartment. Hikaru made his way across the living room and opened the door of his room, waving Sai to follow him.

"Yeah, just about a week ago." Hikaru answered, dropping himself on the bed. "I share this apartment with… Akira…"

Mentioning the name automatically put a smile onto Hikaru's face. He will have to tell Sai about the feelings going on around him and Akira later. He briefly wondered if Sai would be understanding about him falling for another guy, but the thought was quickly brushed aside. Sai would support him. He knew it.

"You have a big, strange smile on your face, Hikaru. Tell me what's on your mind…"

Sai dropped himself down next to him on the bed. Hikaru's smile vanished and was replaced with a more solemn expression. He had so many questions he needed answer. The most important of all…

"Sai, were you mad at me?" The voice was quiet, like a small child waiting for punishment to be handed down by the teacher.

"Hm?" Sai had been looking around Hikaru's room with interest and appeared to be totally surprised at this question.

"Were you?" Hikaru asked in a tone full of guilt, "I never let you play. Is that why you disappeared? Were you mad at me?"

Sai sighed. It seemed like he would need to reassure his disciple many times. Two years was not an extremely long time but obviously long enough for Hikaru to dwell into his own mind that he was the reason of Sai's disappearance and built up a mountain of guilt over it.

"No, it's not like that. I'm not mad at you. I didn't leave by choice, you know. I think it's because my destiny on this earth to you has been fulfilled, and kami-sama has no reason for me to linger here. I said good-bye to you with a smile, but you were sleeping…"

"I blamed myself. I tried to stop playing go afterwards." Hikaru confessed, "I thought that's the only way I will ever see you again… But you never show up… and finally I realized that you were in every step of my Go. I play harder than ever; because every time I play Go, I see a part of you…"

"Hikaru…" Sai was lost at words. "I'm so touched…"

"I'm really glad to know you were not mad at me." Hikaru smiled. Sai nodded and smiled in return.

Hikaru suddenly frowned. "So… if you were taken away because your destiny was fulfilled. Why… are you back now?"

"Good question." Sai tapped lightly on the mattress. "I… don't… know."

"You don't know?" Hikaru asked incredulously. "How can you not know?"

"Hey, it's not my fault that I don't know what kami-same has in mind for me." Sai sulked.

"OK OK," Hikaru scratched his head, "Tell me what you remembered then… after you … disappeared?"

"Well, all I remembered was feeling peaceful… very peaceful… Maybe my soul was waiting to be reincarnated… I don't really know." Sai thought hard, "There wasn't any concept of time or space… then suddenly I was hearing voices… There were different voices arguing… about this soul's destiny was not concluded yet, that there's a 1000 years old promise to keep. The next thing I know, I was walking on a stretch of muddy road."

Sai spared a look at Hikaru. The teenager was silent, his expression confused, no doubt trying to digest the information Sai just fed him. Sai decided to leave out the fact, at least for now, that the stretch of road was the one that led him to the place where he committed suicide or that Ogata rescued him. Deep down, he felt that that had to have some significance to his return. Or else, why didn't he just popped out in Hikaru's place; the location/person he was last with before he "dissolved". He was placed at that place and at that time for a reason; one that he was still pondering about.

"I have given it some thoughts. I think kami-sama sent me back to this earth because parts of my destiny had not been fulfilled yet. And maybe… to fulfill this part of destiny, I need my body."

"What would that destiny… be?" Hikaru asked.

"I have no idea."

The two looked at each other.

"Sai… I guess we are not going to have the answer figured out by staring at each other, huh?" Hikaru grinned.

"I guess not…"

"Let's play Go then." Both said in unison and smiled.

Just like old times.

Hikaru moved the goban to the center of the room, and Sai sat down opposite of him on the floor. They had stayed in this position nearly every day and night two years ago. Being able to do this again, it was the greatest joy to both of them.

Very gently, Sai reached out a hand caressing the surface of the goban. His touch somewhat uncertain as if fearing the hand will penetrate the wood and him having a body was merely an illusion. But the hand landed on the hard surface and by the laws of physics, did not go through the wood.

"I can touch it. For the first time in a thousand years…" Sai looked up, somewhat in awl.

"Yes…" Hikaru agreed, "You can place your own stones now… less work for me!"

Then, remembering something, he looked around his room, and found it. The paper fan he had carried with him for these two years sat on top of the cupboard a few steps behind Sai.

"Sai, I think you might need that."

Sai looked at where Hikaru was pointing and saw the paper fan.

"Let me get it for you." Hikaru stood up and reached over. Grabbing the paper fan, he turned around a little too fast. His foot trapped over the leg of the goban and lost his balance.

"Ouch!" Felling down, he expected to be colliding with the hard wood floor. Instead, he found himself landed on something soft and smelling good. He had felled faced down and landed on top of Sai, pinning the older man on the floor. Their faces were mere inches from each other.

At this precise moment, the bedroom door swung open.

"Hikaru, I heard a loud 'thud' sound … are… you… ok…?" Akira and Ogata had arrived just in time to hear the loud noise of something falling. Of course they waited no time to investigate the source.

So, Akira and Ogata were very luckily presented with the sight of Hikaru leaning on top of Sai, on the floor, in a very compromising position. Yep, their faces so closed to each other it wasn't difficult at all to picture what had happened to Sai's very kissable lips. In fact, to the imaginary eyes of the two men standing around, Hikaru's lips seemed somewhat swollen and there seemed to be a few hickies on Sai's exposed collarbones.

Akira found his hands shaking. His chest was about to explode with anger and violent thoughts filled his mind_. This must be how a husband felt if he came home and found his wife in bed with another man. I couldn't blame him for wanting to choke the life out of the person that dared to touch what's his._ Akira thought darkly as he stood there in silent fury. Coming in after him, it was Ogata who actually let out a roar.

"Hikaru you brat!" Ogata pulled Hikaru roughly up. "Get off him. What the hell were you trying to do?"

"I wasn't trying to do anything!" Hikaru yelped at being pulled so forcefully. He never knew Ogata to lose temper like this. The Go-sensei always seemed composed and "cunning" if nothing else.

"Ogata, let go of Hikaru." Sai's alarmed voice was the only thing that penetrated Ogata's angered mind. He let go of the teenage boy with a shove that made Hikaru stumbled backwards a few steps. He then took a deep breath and calmed himself down. Reaching down to pull Sai up from the floor much more gently than the treatment Hikaru had received, he leaned close and these words were whispered before he could stop himself,

"_Do not let me see another man on top of you ever again_."

Sai's eyes widened slightly at those possessive words. However, he chose to let it go, as this would not be the time for discussion, especially not in front of the two teenagers. So he merely said, "Thank you" and pulled his arms out of Ogata's grip.

The four looked at each other. What now?

"Akira…" It was Hikaru that spoke first. "This is Sai." Swallowing the lump in his throat, he decided to try the truth. Akira was the one person that most deserved to learn the true identity of Sai. "He was the Sai that played against you over the Internet, and also played against your father."

Akira gasped. He had guessed certainly, but being confirmed the truth still made him shocked.

So this was the person that had flattened him.

"Nice to finally meet you in person, Akira." Sai said. "I was very fortunate to be able to have a game with you and your father. I'm also Hikaru's teacher here… sort of, anyway." Sai hastily added hearing a snort from Hikaru. "We were more like friends instead of teacher-student."

Hikaru patted Sai compassionately, "Yep, more like friends. More like owner and pet puppy actually." He joked.

"Hey you disrespectful disciple." Sai smacked Hikaru's head playfully and Hikaru laughed back. That used to be one of their old time jokes as Sai virtually followed Hikaru everywhere. Lost in their own world for the moment, both of them did not notice the way Akira's fist tightened.

"Why is it that you only appeared on the Internet, Sai?" Ogata posted his question. _So you have lied to me._ He managed to keep the bitterness out of his voice, but not before giving Sai a particularly nasty stare.

Sai looked at Hikaru and wondered if he should tell the truth.

_No._ Hikaru shook his head as discretely as possible. It was one thing to let the world know that Sai played Go over the Internet. It was totally another thing telling people you were a ghost from the Heian Era, or that you played Go through a little boy, or that you recently got a body… Saying those type of things will certainly landed you in a mental institute…

The words "mental institute" suddenly gave Hikaru an idea.

"Err… you see, Sai was unable to come play in person because he was very sick."

"Huh?" Sai might be the one that's most surprised hearing those words.

Hikaru gave Sai a look that meant: _Leave it to me. _

"You see, Sai had an illness, a long term illness... He had to stay in the hospital. I was visiting my uncle who was hospitalized at the same hospital and accidentally met him. He taught me how to play Go. Since he couldn't get out of the hospital, he can only play Go over the Internet." Hikaru lied, "Then, two years ago he was sent away to US to receive further treatment. It was very sudden and he didn't have a chance to say good-bye to me or tell me what happened. For the last two years, I thought he was dead, but now he had returned. Fully recovered."

That sounded right, although Ogata was not convinced. He missed neither the soft gasp that escaped from Sai upon hearing Hikaru's words, nor the way Hikaru was making eyes signal at Sai. He won't press the matter for now, but sooner or later, he would certainly find out the truth.

"I have helped you find Hikaru as promised. What are you planning on doing next?" asked Ogata.

"I'm not sure. I guess I will stay with Hikaru and play go." Sai said naturally.

"Stay with Hikaru?" Akira blurted out, "Here…? But there are only two rooms in this apartment… Are you going to stay in the same room with Hikaru? But Hikaru only has a single bed in his room…"

"Oh, that." Sai hesitated, "It was never a problem before…"

_BEFORE? What does THAT mean? _

"It's ok, Sai. Of course you can stay with me." Hikaru didn't even think twice. "I can sleep on the floor until we figured out something."

"I have a spare room in my apartment." Ogata suggested, "If you want to…"

"Thank you very much for offering me a place to stay," Sai declined politely, "But I think I will be fine here with Hikaru."

"If you said so." Ogata seemed to spit those words out through gritted teeth. Although Akira didn't utter any word of disapproval, he was having a hard time covering up the darkened expression on his face. No matter how intrigued he was about this Sai, he didn't want anybody else staying in this apartment, especially sharing Hikaru's room!

"It's settled then." Sai said pleasantly. "Well, Hikaru and I were just about to have a game before you guys came in. If you want to stay and watch, that's most welcomed."

"Of course." Ogata had completely calmed down now, becoming the well manner person he was. "Many had missed you for these two years, Sai, and I couldn't say I wasn't one of them."

Akira sat down beside them as well. Unhappy as he was about the situation, he wasn't about to miss the opportunity watching Sai playing against Hikaru.

_**PA!**_

The first stone was placed on the Goban, and the game started…

X X X X X

Later in the night, with Ogata gone, Akira retreating to his own room somewhat reluctantly, and Hikaru sleeping peacefully on the floor; Sai laid on the bed, wide awoke.

The game with Hikaru was very interesting. He was amazed at how much progress Hikaru had made over these two years. There was not a single doubt over Hikaru's talent and the reason why he had awoken over Hikaru years ago.

Sai had missed playing Go very much. He thought he was going to burst out in tears when he drew the first stone himself and placed it on the goban. Hikaru had promised they would go to the Go Institute together tomorrow and play Go. This time, nobody could stop Sai from playing. Life would be so much fun now that he had a body to enjoy it.

Despite having a satisfying game with Hikaru (and winning, of course), and having a tomorrow packed with Go playing to look forward to, Sai was feeling a little uneasy.

"_Do not let me see another man on top of you ever again_."

Those words rang over Sai's ears over and over in the darkness of the night, sending a chill down his spine. Long ago, someone else spoke something similar to him. The possessiveness in the tone and the phrase was almost identical. He still remembered all too well what happened…

X X X X X

_"I yield, Sai-sensei." A young girl about 16 years of age bowed her head to her opponent, a good-looking young man a few years older than her._

_"You did well, Lady Hana." Sai, around the age of 20 years old, praised the ability of his student. "Let us discuss the mistakes you made in this game. "_

_As the two were deep in conversation discussing the game, Lady Hana's parents showed up behind them. They were looking at the pair with a pleasant expression on their faces._

_A few days later... ..._

_On the hilltop not far from the palace, a figure was playing a flute. His eyes closed, as he lost himself in the beautiful music of his own creation. Beside him, sat a man about 10-12 years older than him, who was seeping sake while listening to the melodious tune._

_"Sai!" Someone shouted from afar loudly, interrupting the beautiful music. "Sai!"_

_The voice was getting closer._

_Both figures on the hill frowned at the disruption._

_"Yes, Kimihiro?" Sai put down his flute and turned around to see his friend's flashed face. He waited patiently for the other to catch his breath._

_"Why didn't you tell me?"_

_"Tell you what?" Sai asked._

_"That you're going to marry Lady Hana."_

_"Huh?"_

_"You mean you don't know?" Kimihiro gasped. "You really don't know? Lady Hana's father, Duke Sato, had gone to the Emperor to request an arrange marriage between you and his daughter. I just caught words about it."_

_"Rea… really?" Sai was shocked._

_"Congratulations!" Kimihiro laughed at his friend's shocked expression. "Lady Hana is a very pretty girl, and talented in so many things. You must be very happy. I'm sure she will be a good wife."_

_"**WHAT!**" An angry voice spoke behind Kimihiro. The smaller man jumped at the commanding voice._

_"Gen…general Ogata, I didn't see you." Kimihiro quickly gave a respectful bow, although he doubted the general's anger was directed at him for forgetting the salute._

_"You said… That Hana girl is betrothed to Sai?"_

_"Ye… yes…" Kimihiro swallowed hard. He suddenly felt like instead of bringing the happy news of an engagement, he was telling an angry lion his cub had just been stolen._

_"Ogata…?" Sai spoke uncertainly._

_"You're happy?" Ogata looked at Sai sharply._

_"I… I supposed…" In reality, Sai wasn't sure what he was feeling at the moment. When he heard that he was going to be betrothed, instead of feeling joy, he felt … nothing except maybe a tingle of annoyance. But if Duke Sato had already gone to the Emperor, there probably wasn't anyway around this._

_General Ogata apparently saw something that he liked in Sai's hesitant tone and confused expression. He calmed down and smiled, "Well then, Sai, congratulations. You are 'about' to be a groom."_

_"Thanks… I guess I should go back now…"_

_Kimihiro was surprised at the lack of happiness on his best friend's face, but he supposed it took sometime for the reality to be down. He was also confused with the General's intense anger and the way it was gone as fast as it came. Maybe the General was experiencing the "father of the bride's syndrome", as he practically took Sai under his wing since Sai was 10. Kimihiro thought as he watched the pair descend the hill; Sai slightly tumbled on his way down and immediately a protective arm swung around his waist, holding him, preventing him from failing… Kimihiro suddenly had a very bad feeling about this engagement._

_X X X_

_Ten more days and Sai will be officially married. Sai paced around his room feeling anxious. Will Lady Hana be a good wife? He wondered. She wasn't that talented in Go. Then Sai laughed at himself. It would seem like he measured everything by Go, even when it came down to the matter of marriage._

_Deciding that he needed a break from his thoughts, he walked out of his room intending on finding an opponent to play Go. However, it was quite late at night, so his footsteps automatically brought him to the General's mansion, the place where he knew he can go to anytime of the day._

_He found his own way to the General's bedroom. The light was lilted; he knew the General didn't go to bed early._

_"Ogata, can I come in?"_

_There was a moment of silence before he heard an answer, "Sure."_

_"Sorry to bother you late at night… but I couldn't sleep, so I was wondering if you will play Go with me…" Sai closed the door behind him, "Eh? Is there a battle coming up?"_

_General Ogata was sitting on the bed; his long sword unsheathed and he was polishing it with a piece of cloth._

_"No, just doing some cleaning." He put the sword back and tossed the cloth away._

_Sai thought he caught a glimpse of red on the cloth, but thought nothing of it as he happily sat down in front of the Goban._

_X X X X X_

_"The… the marriage arrangement was cancelled?" Sai asked in surprise._

_"Yes, I'm afraid so." The messenger answered. "Lady Hana had gone to the Emperor. She pledged that she was to devote her life to Buddha and becomes a nun. She said it was the instruction from kami-sama. The emperor cannot force a marriage if she wishes to devote her life as a nun. So the arrange marriage has to be cancelled."_

_"Oh I see." Sai was not disappointed at all, but he was a little surprised. Lady Hana frequently talked about marriage and how she wanted to have children and care for her husband. It was unexpected for her to choose to become a nun._

_Then, he suddenly thought of something. The thought sent a spark of fear and he ran as quickly as possible. He needed to confirm his suspicions._

_X X X_

_"OGATA!"_

_"Oh, Sai." Ogata was in his meditating room. "I would appreciate if you actually knocked before coming in."_

_"What did you do to Lady Hana?"_

_His question was met with silence._

_"Tell me!"_

_"If you must know…" Ogata answered calmly, "I merely asked her a question."_

_"A… question?"_

_"Yes. I asked her… If she wants to be a dead bride, or a living nun."_

_"WHAT?" Sai was truly shocked._

_"If she insists that she wants to marry you, I will kill her." Ogata said plainly. "She can only be your dead bride, never a living one. If she wants to live, her only way out of this is to go to the Emperor, declared that she is to be devoted to Buddha, and become a nun. The Emperor had already given words for the arranged marriage; this is the only way out. So, her choices are rather simple; dead bride, or a living breathing nun."_

_"And you threatened her with a sword, didn't you? There… there was red on the cloth that night you were polishing your sword. That was blood!"_

_"It didn't take much for her to make up her mind… Merely a prick on her neck and she decided she would much prefer to be a nun."_

_"You are crazy…" Sai finally said, "I don't like her, but I don't mind marrying her. Why would you do such a thing?"_

_"You don't know, do you?" Ogata approached him slowly. Sai started to back away until he bumped into the wall._

_Pressing down, Ogata kissed him._

_Sai's world shattered._

TBC…

Note:I was brought to attention about the way the characters address each other… yeah, I get confused switching names from Shindo to Hikaru, Akira to Touya.or Sai to Fujiwara. So, to keep things simple, everyone goes by the name that I think "sounded" good. :)


	9. Chapter 9

Part 9

Notes: Paragraphs in_ italic_ are thoughts or Sai's past during Heian era.

_Sai locked himself in his room. His fingers trailed over his lips unconsciously as he tried to comprehend what had happened moments ago. _

_Ogata had kissed him. _

_For a minute or two, he merely stood there, with his back pressed against the wall, and let Ogata kissed him. When his rational mind finally started functioning again, he had pushed the other man away and ran like a rabbit pursued by a wolf. _

_Now, back in the safely of his own room, and with some of the initial shock wore off, he started thinking back about the kiss. It was actually… good… very good in fact… _

_Sai dropped his head on his knees. Could this mean he also feel something for the General that even he himself wasn't aware of? Or was this merely a reflex reaction to a good kisser? _

"_Hey Sai, are you in there?" a voice woke him out of his trend of thoughts._

"_Yeah… come in, Kimihiro." Sai opened the door and let his best friend into his room. Maybe he needed some advice on this. _

"_I heard that the engagement has been called off … I came to see if you're ok..." Kimihiro paused as he took in his friend's expression. He didn't think the engagement being called off would affect his friend this much, since Sai never showed much joy or eagerness in the first place._

"_I don't care about the engagement before, and I couldn't care less about it NOW." Sai said in frustration. "I have more pressing issue."_

_Sai gestured his friend to sit down beside him on the bed and proceeded to tell Kimihiro everything that just happened; starting with Ogata threatening Lady Hana and the kiss just now. Kimihiro listened to the whole story intently. He couldn't say he was totally surprised. Unlike Sai whose focus is wholly on Go and Go only, Kimihiro had picked up signs here and there. The only question remaining was:_

_  
"Sai, how do you feel about him?"_

"… …" _Sai paused to think, "He was the closest person to me ever since I came to this place, but I don't know if I feel the same way…"_

"_What did you feel when he kissed you?" Kimihiro asked patiently._

"_I enjoyed it." Sai answered almost guiltily. "I felt almost as happy as the first time I placed a stone on the goban. BUT, I have never … kissed… anyone before. How do I know if it's a true feeling or just a normal reaction?"_

"_So you think you might feel the same if anyone else kiss you?"_

"_Maybe…" Sai answered undecidedly. _

_Kimihiro suddenly leaned close making Sai gave a surprised gasp. "What are you doing?"_

"_Let's give it a try." Kimihiro smiled. "I will give you a kiss and you can tell me if you feel the same."_

"… _ok…" _

_Kimihiro leaned in gently and pressed his lips against Sai's. He caught hold of Sai's hands and pressed the other down onto the mattress as he deepened the kiss. _

"_WHAT THE HELL!"_

_They didn't even have time to react to the roar, before Kimihiro was grabbed and toasted out of the room. Sai sat up on his bed, looking straight into the face of an enraged general. _

_"_**_Do not let me see another man on top of you ever again."_ **

"_Why?" Sai asked calmly. He had learned something from the kiss with Kimihiro. It wasn't unpleasant, but it felt more like kissing a lovely puppy or cat. It was not intense, and certainly did not leave him dazzled and burning up afterwards. Nor did he feel the joy similar to the one he experienced when playing a good game. It can only mean one thing. He did have feelings for the General. Just within the few seconds where Kimihiro was toasted out, he had learned of his own feelings, and it's time to clarify things._

"_Why? You're asking me why?" Ogata's hands twitched and his face turned a deeper color of red. Normally that would be very frightening, but Sai thought it was rather cute… now that he knew why Ogata had always been overprotective and almost possessive of him. _

"_Yes, I'm asking you why. Why can't I have another man on top of me? Why can't I get married? Why did you kiss me just now?"_

_Silence. _

_Sai looked at Ogata un-wavered, until finally the older man gave in and answered. _

"… … _Because. I. Love. You. Ever since the first day I saw you."_

"_I feel the same way." _

_This time it was Sai who initiated the kiss. _

_X X X X X_

_Hours later… late in the night… _

_Sai laid his head on the shoulder of his lover. The other was playing with his long, purple hair. _

"_Did you say you love me since the first day you saw me?"_

"_Yes, I did." Ogata nodded. _

"_You're so perverted!" Sai teased, "The first time you saw me I was naked! And I was only 10!"_

_Ogata smiled. "I waited 10 long years, didn't I?"_

"_Still…"_

_Suddenly remembering something, Ogata shifted and took down the locket he was always wearing. _

"_You're not going to give me that, are you?" Sai looked at it rather skeptically, "It doesn't go with me at all."_

_Ogata gave him a mocking gaze, and proceeded to take something out of the locket. It was a pair of red ruby earrings. _

"_THIS is for you." Ogata placed it on Sai's palm. "It's something that's passed down from my ancestors. I'm supposed to give it to my 'bride', but I don't think I will ever marry. You don't have to wear them, of course… I just want you to have it."_

_Sai looked at the jewel in his hands. He smiled and nodded. _

_X X X X X_

_The next day, Heian Court enjoyed quite a talk. _

"_Did you see that… what Sai-Sensei was wearing?"_

"_Yeah… Why is he wearing earrings? That's not for a MAN!"_

_"I know... Did he have such a shock because his engagement was called off? That he started wearing earrings? And made by red ruby..."_

_"Well, helooks stunning with them... but still... the point is that's for GIRLS and WOMEN!"_

"_Shh… here he comes…"_

_Kimihiro looked at his friend; Sai seemed oblivious to the talk around him, or maybe he just didn't care. Kimihiro didn't ask Sai what happened after he was toasted out of the room, but he had his guesses. As long as Sai looked happy and contented… what did it matter if his friend wanted to wear some jewelry that was unusual for a man? Who knows? This might even became a fashion in the future… … _

X X X X X

Sai touched the red ruby earrings on his ears. He remembered the sensation he had caused by wearing them back in those days. It was unheard of for a man to wear earrings back then, but he didn't care. Even after they broke up, he had never taken the earrings down…

"Hey… Sai…" A drowsy voice greeted him and brought him out of his thoughts.

"Good morning, Hikaru." Sai smiled at the sleepy head in front of him.

"You woke up so early…" Hikaru rubbed his eyes and sat up on the floor. "Just like before."

Sai didn't bother to tell him he didn't sleep at all last night, nor did he sleep when he was a ghost. That was why he was always awaked when Hikaru roused.

"We should start getting ready. Akira will be up soon too. He's an early riser."

"Speaking of Akira…" Sai paused before blurted out, "Did you think it a good idea to lie to him about me last night?"

"Huh?"

"Maybe we should have told him the truth?"

"Er…" Hikaru frowned. He was feeling a bit guilty lying to Akira now that he thought about it. Two years ago he had told Akira he might one day tell him what really happened, and last night seemed to be the perfect timing. He had let that passed, "But Ogata was there too. We can tell Akira what happened, but certainly not Ogata!"

"I trust Ogata." The words slipped out easily.

"You do?" Hikaru blinked. "Why?"

Sai shrugged.

"Well, I guess we will just tell them when opportunity presents itself next time then… Should we get ready to go to the Go Institute?"

There was unmistakable excitement in Sai's voice.

"Sure."

With the answer, Hikaru realized one thing. Today will be the day Sai was introduced to the Go world, and it will also be the end to the days where Sai belonged and depended solely on him. Gone were the days where only he could see Sai, where he and Sai shared thoughts, where Sai followed him everywhere… Now, Sai would shine brightly as he entered the universe of Go once again.

TBC…


	10. Chapter 10

Part 10

Notes: Paragraphs in_ italic_ are either thoughts or Sai's past during Heian era.

The practice room at the Go Institute was unusually crowded for an early Monday morning. A large group gathered around a table, watching intensely on a game going on between two young men.

Sai was playing against Isumi. And gaining the upper hand. He had already beaten Waya and Ochi earlier.

_/Here./_ Sai put down a Go stone after some thoughts. /_/This should do it./_

Isumi stared at that move in awe. That was a fantastic step. He knew he has lost the game, but he learned a lot from this one game. Sai was a great opponent. He bowed his head as he yielded.

"Let's discuss this game, shall we?" Sai beamed as he happily went over the game with Isumi as well as those standing around. It was incredible being able to play Go again, in flesh, after a thousand years. The feeling of being able to interact in person with his opponents, able to instruct those newer players; these were things that he had missed doing for so long… Maybe this was the task assigned to him on earth, the reason he was sent back… he smiled to himself and denied the uncomfortable lurking deep down telling him otherwise.

Hikaru watched Sai explaining the game in details to Isumi and the way Isumi gladly took instructions from someone with more expertise than himself. Isumi asked a few questions around the moves he had made and Sai replied in kind with suggestions of possible alternatives.

_He used to teach that to me ALONE! _

Hikaru stared at them gloomily. Sai was selfless when it came to teaching the younger generation of Go players; he knew that, but he hated it all the same at this time. Sai should ONLY teach him in that way! A deep frown appeared on his face as he realized he had to "share" his Sai, er,mentor from now on…

There was only one other observer that wasn't paying attention to the valuable lessons Sai was giving. Akira was standing one step behind Hikaru, and he could read the scowl on Hikaru's face and the way Hikaru's lips twisted into a thin line when Kadowaki "accidentally" got too close with Sai.

Finally, the discussion of the game with Isumi got to a stop.

"Does anyone want to play…?" Before Sai even finished the sentence, there were already 5 hands in the air, including Waya and Kadowaki.

Sai chuckled, finding it amusing.

"Sai, you have been playing for hours. We should go get lunch first." Hikaru interrupted, not wanting Sai to be "snatched" away again.

"Oh… yeah…" Sai looked at Hikaru and smiled, "I completely forgot… I have to eat… now…"

"Yes, you do." Hikaru nodded. "Let's go for Ramen."

"Hey Hikaru, can we come too?" Waya asked, while Kadowaki was nodding eagerly beside him. He hadn't anticipated this beautiful young man to be such an exceptional go player, but all the same, a crush was a crush!

"Hell no. I want to spend some time alone with Sai, after you two had been standing beside him left and right. Get away from him!" That was the reply Hikaru wanted to say, but years of living under the legendary Japanese courtesy influenced his answer to be: "Yeah, sure." The respond was as unenthusiastic as possible without sounding too rude, yet the hint was still too subtle for Waya or Kadowaki to catch on.

It ended up the 6 of them went for lunch together; Sai, Hikaru, Waya, Kadowaki, Isumi and Akira.

"So Sai, you're truly the 'Internet Sai' then?" Waya asked excitedly.

"Yes I am. Are you doubting me?"

"No, it's just you are so young, Sai," Waya said, "Oops, Sai-sensei."

"Oh don't worry about it. Just call me Sai." Sai dismissed the need for the more formal and respectful way of addressing him. "Hikaru never call me 'Sai-sensei', and I taught him for years!"

"Hikaru has no manners!" Waya said and Kadowaki laughed loudly while Isumi smiled. Hikaru however was not laughing. He didn't like the way Sai compared him to Waya or Kadowaki. He should have been more special to Sai.

"I'm going to post your news on the Internet Go Chat room." Waya told Sai, "The Internet Go world is going to be thrilled."

"So Sai, are you seeing anyone right now?" a sudden change of topic as Kadowaki asked rather directly.

"Huh… how do you define 'seeing'? I'm 'seeing' a lot of people right now, and people are 'seeing' me too…" Sai smiled, knowing what Kadowaki was asking but withholding the information.

"Would you mind dating a guy?" Kadowaki blurted out his question of concern.

"Of course…"

Kadowaki's face fell.

"…not…" Sai finished the sentence after a pause, and Kadowaki's face lit up.

Hikaru had never had a chance to watch Sai interacting with others before, since no one other than himself could actually see Sai. The Sai he knew was either obsessed with Go, or somewhat childish when he wasn't playing Go. This Sai, however, was smooth in handling those around him, acted rather comfortably around a group of 'drooling admirers', and almost 'toying' with Kadowaki who held affection for him, a side completely unknown to Hikaru.But when Sai turned around to look at him, the eyes were sincere and caring, as he remembered, with none of the jesting.

"Sai, I can't believe you are not a professional." Waya said.

"I just… never had a chance to take the professional exam." Sai answered, suddenly feeling a bit dejected as he recalled his earlier conversation with the administration office of the Go Institute. There was a professional exam coming up soon, and they would let him enrolled. The only problem was, they requested a copy of his ID, something that he didn't have. How was a thousand years old ghost who recently came back from life supposed to produce a copy of driver license or national identity card? He didn't have any of those things during Heian Era.

"We will find a way." Hikaru whispered, knowing what was on Sai's mind, and glad that once again he was the one whocould help Sai out, although he had no idea where or how he was going to obtain a copy of identity card for Sai.

X X X X X

A week had gone by without much incidence since Sai's reintroduction into the Go world. He still hadn't figure out a way to become a professional Go player, but that didn't seem a top priority at the moment. He was having one hell of a time playing Go, every single day, with different opponents at the Go Institute, mostly the younger Go professionals who had more time or sometimes even the non professionals or Go students. He had not have a chance to play against the top Go players yet, although they all expressed an interest to play against him. They merely needed to work out on scheduling a time that will work for both of them, as both parties wanted to have the match with the best state of mind. Meijin Touya had already called Hikaru and Akira from China to put himself on the first of the top opponents waiting list. It seemed like the man would have flew back from China immediately if not for the commitment he had there that prevented him from leaving at present time.

_News sure traveled fast in this era…and I would love to play against Meijin Touya again…_

Sai thought as he idly flipped a page of the Go magazine he was reading. He was currently in Hikaru's room.

_I wonder where Ogata has disappeared to… Haven't seen him for the whole week… Oh well, it's not like I missed him or anything… I don't need another person acting all possessive around me… Hikaru has that covered…_

The teenager had been unusually clingy this past week. It's almost as if their position had reversed. It used to be Sai following him everywhere, now it's like Hikaru would not let Sai out of his sight. Sai had concluded that it was merely a normal reaction since he did disappear for 2 years without a trace. In fact, he quite enjoyed the attention from Hikaru. But he liked the moments of solitary as well; like right now where Hikaru was in the kitchen preparing dinner and he had the room all by himself.

XXX

"Hikaru…"

"Oh, hi, Akira." Hikaru was cooking his best dish – ramen. "I'm preparing dinner. Do you want some?"

"No, it's ok… I have already eaten." Akira said, and somewhat hesitantly continued, "About tomorrow… …"

"Tomorrow?" Hikaru poured the noodles into two large bows. "What is it with tomorrow?"

"… … the concert… …" Akira muttered uncertainly. He wasn't sure if Hikaru still remembered the official "date" they planned with all the chaos going on this week.

"Oh yeah! The CONCERT! Our date!" Hikaru slapped his forehead with one hand and nearly dropped the pot.

"So you forget." Akira stated.

"NO, of course not! How can I forget!" Hikaru denied, shaking his head vigorously. "The concert starts at 6p.m…"

"Yes, I actually have to help out Yun-sensei on something and I will be in the area close to the concert hall around 5p.m."

"In that case, I'll meet you in front of the concert hall so that you don't have to travel all the way back?"

"Sure." Akira nodded. He barely had any chance to talk to Hikaru for this past week, but at least they will be spending sometime alone together tomorrow. It would be their FIRST date.

X X X X X

"I wonder if I should bring something for Akira on the first date." Hikaru thought as he walked down the corridor leading to the storage room in the Go Institute with a stack of old Go magazines in hand.

For the first time in a week, he wasn't following Sai around in the Institute. He recalled a little guiltily that he hadn't spent much time with Akira at all this past week. Deciding he will make it up when they went out on the date tonight, he thought hard for an appropriate gift. "Flowers? No, that's too girly! Chocolates? No, Akira doesn't eat sweets. Go related stuff maybe? No, that seemed weird… Maybe I will go ask Waya or Kadowaki for some tips. They seemed like the romantic type. Well, Waya at least. I don't know about Kadowaki… but at least he seemed 'experienced' if nothing else…"

Hikaru turned around and walked towards the common practice room. That's where Sai spent most of his time, and consequently most likely to find Waya and Kadowaki as well.

As he reached the practice room, he saw Waya and Kadowaki standing by the door, with a shocked expression on their faces.

"Something wrong?" Hikaru asked curiously.

"Sai…" Waya started but seemed unsure how to finish.

_NO! NOT AGAIN!_

Hikaru dropped the magazines in his hand and ran into the room. He scanned the surrounding and Sai was nowhere to be found.

_NO! Sai you promised! You're NOT going to disappear again!_

"Hey, Hikaru…"

"WHAT HAPPENED?" Hikaru yelled.

"Calm down, Hikaru." Waya quickly continued as it seemed like Hikaru was going to yell at him again, "We were playing Go just now. Sai was sitting over there by the couch reading some magazines. Suddenly he let out a scream and ran out of the door. We don't know where did he go."

"He screamed and ran away?" Hikaru repeated in disbelief. But at least Sai didn't just disappeared. He thought with some comfort.

"I'm going to find him."

X X X X X

_Sai, where could you be?_

Hikaru thought frantically as he rode the train and tried to think of every places that Sai could go. Sai's favorite place was no doubt the Go Institute, but that wasn't a possibility as Sai obviously ran away from that exact location.

Home? That was the first place he checked and Sai wasn't there. Go club? But there were so many... He called the few that he had took Sai before and all of them ensured him that they didn't see any man with long purple hair coming in today.

_How am I supposed to find somebody in a city with over 12 millions people?_

Hikaru sighed in despair as he wondered around the city without an aim. His anxiety grew with each passing minutes. The similarity of the situation began to down on him. What if he wasn't able to find Sai? What if Sai just disappeared? Again?

_I got to stop and think. Sai didn't know that many places in Tokyo. So he would either be lost in the city, or he would be at the few places that he was familiar with... Ah I got it!_

XXXXX

On a quiet little park, Sai was sitting alone on a bench. He watched the sunset and the darkness gradually creeping in. This was his favorite spot in Tokyo. It was close to Hikaru's old house. They used to pass by the park everyday on their way home when he was "with" Hikaru. Sometimes they would stop by the park for a little while...

"SAI!"

The shout of his name brought him out of his thoughts.

"Hikaru?" Sai was surprised to see Hikaru standing in front of him, out of breaths. He yelped in pain as Hikaru rushed towards him and gripped his shoulder hard.

"Don't you ever, ever, ever do that to be again!" Hikaru shouted. It was a good thing there were no other people at the park or they would be alarmed. "You promised you would not disappear again."

"I'm sorry Hikaru." Sai apologized. "I wasn't thinking..."

Hikaru took a quick look at Sai to make sure the older man seemed ok before sitting down next to him. "You nearly got me a heart attack. I was running all over Tokyo looking for you. It was almost like ... last time."

"Don't worry, I'm still here." Sai replied. Hikaru did not miss the slight hesitancy in Sai's voice.

"What happened?" Hikaru demanded. "Why did you suddenly burst out of the Practice Room?"

"Time's running out..." Sai said softly.

X X X X X

Akira glanced at his watch; it was almost 5:30p.m. His eyes searched the crowded area in front of the concert hall. Hikaru should be here any minute now. He couldn't help smiling a little as he imagined how their first date was going to be…

TBC…


	11. Chapter 11

Part 11

"Time's running out...?"

Sai slowly nodded. His face paled as the ghost that he once was.

"I was at the practice room, reading a magazine... when suddenly I heard voices... in my head..." Sai recalled, "It's telling me the time is running short. The tone of the voice was gentle. It was like a reminder more than a warning."

_But it was a warning nonetheless._

"What else did you hear?"

"It said... 'Look into your past... and soon you will have to decide… you will have to choose, or the choice will be made for you'..." Sai continued, the words were clear in his mind, "And then, there was another voice. This one was ...far away, vague, and pained... It was like a wounded animal at the verge of dying... and though I could barely hear it, I knew it was screaming at me: 'I've got to see you again!'. It sounded like… no, it can't be." Sai shook his head.

"It sounded like someone you knew?" Hikaru asked, kneeling down in front of Sai.

Sai looked away. "Maybe... Maybe not… and at that point I felt a searing pain in my head. I panicked, you know. I wasn't used to hearing voices in my head. So I just... ran away..."

_You used to be a ghost who spoke to me all the time; and now you were scared because you heard voices in your head?_ Hikaru would have said that if he wasn't so distracted with what Sai was telling him.

"Time's running out...? We have to figure out how to extend your time then." Hikaru clamed his fists tightly, "I won't let you just disappeared like last time!"

"Hikaru..." Sai looked at Hikaru with concern, seeing how much this information had upset the teenager. "It's ok. I'm not scared. Not anymore anyway. Before you found me, I was sitting on the bench here all alone and thinking... I have been luckier than most people. I have had 3 life times -- one as myself, Sai. The next one I shared with Torajiro, and then through you. Now I got a chance to live the life that I carelessly thrown away; I was given back my body, even if this was just for a week it was still good."

"Noooo..." Hikaru shook his head, "You are back and you're not to disappear again."

Sai didn't know what to say. So he merely gave Hikaru a hug, hoping to calm the other down.

"I'm not going anywhere, Hikaru." _As long as I can help it._ "Look, it's about to start raining. Let's go home."

X X X X X

Hikaru paced around the living room. He had been going on about it for hours. Sai was starting to get worried for his young friend.

"Maybe we should find a priest..." This was his 101st suggestion on how to fix Sai's problem.

The front door suddenly slammed opened, revealing a person who was soaking wet from head to toe.

"A… Akira?"

Water was dripping from Akira's hair and clothing but he made no attempt to dry himself. His stares were fixed on Hikaru.

"Err… Was it raining hard out there? Let me get you a towel…?"

"You. Never. Came."

Hikaru opened his mouth and closed it, like a goldfish out of air. He had totally forgotten about his date with Akira!

"Just as I thought. You forgot." Akira whispered bitterly.

"Look Akira, I'm sorry." Hikaru babbled to explain, "Waya told me Sai ran out of the Go Institute, so I went to look for him... I was running all around Tokyo this afternoon looking for him."

"Why? He is an adult, not a child, and he is from Tokyo. Just because he ran out of the Go Institute you have to spent your whole day searching for him?"

Hikaru bit down on his tongue. He wished there was an easy way to make Akira understand. But his own lies that he told Akira earlier came back to bite him in the face now. He couldn't possibly tell Akira how he had worried that Sai would just "evaporated" again.

"I see." When Akira received no answer, he merely came to a conclusion, "He is more important, isn't he?"

Akira shoved past Hikaru to walk towards his bedroom.

"Wait, Akira, listen to me... It wasn't like what you think..."

"Then WHAT is IT?" Akira finally lost his temper and yelled. "I waited for 4 hours. You never show up. There wasn't even a courtesy phone call telling me, 'hey Akira, I decided not to come because my precious Sai runs into a little problem.' Oh I remembered, the reason you didn't even call is because you totally forgot about it."

"Look, I'm sorry ok?" Hikaru wanted to apologize to Akira, but his worry for Sai and the frustration of his inability to solve Sai's problem had made him short tempered, and the apology did not come out the way he intended at all.

"Screw you." Akira slammed his bedroom door right at Hikaru's face.

X X X X X

"You looked tired. Rough week?" Ogata asked the man sitting in front of him casually.

Sai sighed. He never thought he would turn to Ogata for help.

They were now sitting at Ogata's favorite restaurant; a high class, expensive place on the top floor of a 5-star hotel located in the Ginza area. The place was quiet and formal. As this was the afternoon tea hours, there were only a few guests around. The number of waiters standing by was more than guests'. Sai felt extremely uncomfortable dressed in his shirt and jeans at a place like this. He was certain the waiter had wanted to turn him away, but was only making an exception since Ogata seemed to be their frequent guest.

Ogata on the other hand, appeared to be quite at ease at this formal dining restaurant. _Yeah, of course, dressed in his expensive suit. _Sai thought, though he knew it was more than just the suit. Ogata seemed to be incredibly used to the settings of high society. Sai briefly wondered about Ogata's background, but he couldn't recall if any of the articles ever mention anything about it.

"Sai?"

"Oh, yeah. I supposed. Pretty rough." Sai replied, "How about you? I didn't see you around the Go Institute for the past 2 weeks."

"Were you looking for me?" There was a gleam beneath Ogata's glasses.

Sai didn't answer.

"Well, I was out of town. I went to do a little 'research'. You know, I like to find my own answers when something confuses me. I just got back yesterday." Ogata said.

"Oh, so was the research fruitful?" Sai idly stirred his tea.

"I would say so, although there were still a few facts that need some further research. No big deal. It will clear up soon enough." Ogata shrugged, "Let's talk about you. What is your purpose of asking me out today?"

"It's about Hikaru and Akira."

"Hm… Those two…" Ogata took a small sip of his black coffee, "What is wrong?"

Sai fumbled with the fine china in front of him. He didn't know why he had thought of asking Ogata for help. Maybe it was because Ogata really did take care of him the first few days and he felt he could rely on him somewhat…

"You know about their… err… feelings?" Sai said carefully.

"I have watched them interact, and I'm an experienced man myself."

_Trust you to be VERY experienced…_ Sai felt a tinge of anger, but quickly pushed it aside.

"It was like they kept fighting with each other yet one can't live without the other. A weird form of love, isn't it? Quite amusing to watch though." Ogata continued.

"Well, the two of them were no longer fighting. Not the way you described anyway. Now this was like they treated the other as nonexistence and tried to shut each other out of the other's life. In fact, Akira had left about a week ago, if you don't already know. I think he moved back to his parents' empty house. Hikaru won't admit he was upset but it was eating him. When they did see each other in the Institute, the tension was so high I don't know what to do. And I felt responsible for the situation."

"You want me to be the mediator between them?" Ogata asked.

"Maybe you can talk to Akira. You are quite close to him, aren't you?"

"I was. Things had changed somewhat after he becomes professional." Ogata answered, "But I will help. I definitely want to get those two together. It won't do to have Hikaru lurking after someone other than Akira instead… And vice versa…" Ogata pointed Sai a meaningful glance. "I will come up with a plan."

X X X X X

"Sai, where did you go?" Hikaru rubbed his eyes. "And close the blind please. It's too bright…"

Sai looked at the clock. It's 5p.m. in the afternoon, and Hikaru was still in his pajamas. Apparently the boy hadn't even left the house for the whole day.

"Didn't you have a game today?"

Hikaru shrugged. "I wasn't feeling well. I called in sick."

Sai looked at Hikaru, the teenager was a mess. He knew Hikaru hadn't sleep or eat properly for the past weeks, and it was reflected clearly on the tired features. He needed to help Hikaru out.

"Listen, Hikaru…"

XXXXX

"Where are we going?" Akira asked. Ogata was driving his red Ferrari at dangerous speed as usual.

"Tonight was Gackt's last concert in Tokyo. I got 2 tickets, and I know you're a fan of his, so I decided to give you a treat, since you seemed to have a pretty hard time last week…"

"Oh…" Normally Akira would have been thrilled to watch the concert, but now it only served to remind him of that night where Hikaru stood him up. "Ogata-sensei, I'm kind of busy tonight."

"Really? But I checked your schedule, I don't think you are doing anything."

"It's just that I don't feel very well…"

"Well, you don't want me to waste the tickets, do you? Why don't we just go and if you really don't want to stay, we can leave, ok?"

Akira nodded mutely.

X X X X X

Akira sat on the seat waiting for the concert to start. Ogata had asked him to go in first, as he needed to find a spot for his car.

_I'm probably the saddest person here…_ Akira thought as he watched the place filled with excited fans. He decided he would just have to tell Ogata he wanted to leave as soon as Ogata came in. There was no way he could sit through the concert, kept thinking about what Hikaru had done to him.

The lights in the concert hall suddenly went out, and everyone stood up and began screaming as the singer appeared on stage. A figure squeezed his way through to the seat next to Akira.

"Ogata-sensei, I think I'm not well. I would like to…" Akira didn't finish his sentence as he realized it wasn't Ogata who held the ticket to the seat next to his.

It was Hikaru.

Akira stared at Hikaru, stunned for a minute. Then without hesitation, he turned and pushed his way through. Someone cursed him for being so rude, but he didn't care. He pushed the door open and left the blazing music and cheering crowd behind him. He ran down the empty corridor leading to the exit, and slammed the exit open, until he was in the open air and staring at the night sky.

Pausing for breath, he looked back and saw Hikaru standing a few steps behind him.

"This changed nothing, you know. I don't know what you are thinking, but things don't work like this." Akira shook his head.

"Sai was a ghost."

Akira looked at the teenager standing behind him.

"I promised I would tell you the story someday. Would you like to listen to it now?"

X X X X X

Across the street from the concert hall, there was a red Ferrari parked at the side of the road. Two men sitting in the car watched intensely at the two teenagers talking in front of the building.

"You think this will work?" Sai asked a little uncertainly.

"It will." Ogata pulled up a cigarette and lighted it. He took a deep puff and then blew up slowly, "Remind Hikaru to pay me 100,000 yen tomorrow. That concert was totally sold out and I had to pay 50000 yen for each of the ticket. You pay a high price when you stood up on your date."

"Ah, is that speaking from experience as well?" Sai smiled.

"Maybe, maybe not…" Ogata grinned, "Now, are you ok?"

Sai nodded. "Yeah, just a bit… lost. I guess it's like a father sending his daughter off walking down the isle."

"Father, huh?" Ogata mused, "I sure hope it's only fatherly love and nothing else…"

Sai didn't reply.

Ogata started the engine of the car. "Let's go before we were discovered… by the police for illegal parking!"

The two men enjoyed a quiet drive on the freeway.

"Ogata, where are you taking me?" Sai finally asked when Ogata parked the car in front of a building that's clearly not the apartment Sai was currently staying at.

"My house." Ogata got out of the car, "Come in, please."

X X X X X

For a man who enjoyed driving a red Ferrari and wearing white expensive suit, Ogata's house was almost too plain. The place was very neat for a single man, and it was considered spacious for a home in Tokyo. It even had a separate guest room and office besides the master bedroom.

"Please have a sit, Sai. Make yourself at home." Ogata handed Sai a glass of wine.

Sai took a little sip and whined; he didn't care for red wine. He much preferred sake.

Ogata smiled at Sai's obvious distaste for the drink, and took a sip of his own drink.

"Sai, remember last time when I told you that I was gone for two weeks doing some research?" Ogata opened the conversation normally.

"Yeah, you said there were still a few points that needed clarification?"

"Yeah, today I received all the information I needed…" Ogata pointed at a folder that stamped "CONFIDENTIAL" on a table nearby. "The finding was rather interesting, you know… Sai Fujiwara, who are you really?"

"What do you mean?" Sai put down the wine as alarm went off in his head. Had he been too trustful of Ogata? Letting the man take him home…?

"There were no records of departure or entry into Japan or US of you. There were no records of you, Sai Fujiwara, receiving treatments at any of the hospitals in Japan or US. Let's see, what else… Yes, there were no records of Sai Fujiwara that matched your appearance in any legal documents whatsoever. Interesting, isn't it?"

"How… did…"

"I happened to have very good connections." Ogata smiled, "Family background with political influence is so convenience sometimes."

Silence.

"Just curious, if we were stopped by a police tonight, and he asked you for some 'proper documentation', will you be able to provide it?"

"What would you like to do? Have me deported?" Sai answered with a question.

"No, I merely wanted to know the truth." The smile was wiped from Ogata's face, replaced with all seriousness.

To be continued…


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

**Notes:** Paragraphs in_ italic_ are thoughts or Sai's past during Heian era.

"The truth...?" Sai mused absently. "People always want to know the truth, but can they handle it?"

"I can." It was a reply full of certainty with no hesitation.

"You're always so confident... so sure of things..." Sai let out a long sigh, "Very well, I will tell you the truth."

Eyes downcast, looking at the wine glass sitting on the table, Sai began the story of his life slowly, "I don't belong to this era. I was born a thousand years ago during the Heian era, and I was a Go Instructor for the Emperor. Then, due to a fateful event, I killed myself when I was 25. However, even death could not extinguish my passion for Go, so my spirit lingered on… attaching to the Go board for a long, long time… until I chanced upon a boy with great Go talent. I played Go through him, continuing my dream...Unfortunately, he died at a relatively young age, and I was left within the Go board once again. For couple hundreds of years I waited quietly… time had no meaning to me...One day, another boy stumbled upon the Go board. I'm sure you might have guessed the identity of this boy -- it was Hikaru. My spirit awakened and stayed with Hikaru for a few years until my task to bring out his Go talent was completed and my spirit finally was at peace. That was supposed to be the end of story, but, somehow I ended up with a living, breathing body a few weeks ago. Cast at the middle of the road where you found me."

Sai left out a breath he didn't even realize he was holding; half surprised at how smoothly he recounted the absurd story of his life, and how short it really was. The story of his life, which span across centuries, can be summed up with merely a few sentences? He wondered briefly if Ogata would truly think he was insane now, but Ogata asked for it. He asked to be told the truth. He chanced a glance at the man sitting opposite of him. Ogata appeared to be as calm as one can be after hearing the tall tales.

"So you ARE the 'Internet Sai' after all…" The man muttered.

"I guess I am… what do they call me? 'Phantom of the Internet Go', 'Ghost of Go'…?" Sai laughed shortly at his own attempt at humor. This was one weird conversation between two adult men.

"It was you whom I played against that night when I was half drunk, instead of Hikaru, isn't it...?"

"You remembered?" Sai thought the man was completely smashed that night.

"Only pieces of it..." Ogata admitted, "I had always thought back about that game, especially after I have other chances to play against Hikaru later on. The game that night didn't carry any of Hikaru's signatures... it puzzled me... now it's all cleared up."

Sai looked at Ogata. He was acting way too normal. Shouldn't the guy have more questions? Or be more shocked? Or _SOMETHING_?

"It seemed like you were quite unsatisfied with my reactions?" Ogata's lips curved up sideway into a lopsided grin.

"I have to admit I was expecting a bigger reaction."

"Well, maybe people in the 21st century can hardly be shocked over anything anymore... Hollywood and anime pretty much explored every possible shocking element out there… Or, maybe it's just me." Ogata fished up something from his pocket, and threw it carelessly onto the table, "Just now you asked me what I will do if the police stopped you and you weren't able to produce any proper documentation – here's your answer."

It was a valid Japanese Identification card, with Fujiwara Sai's name and picture on it.

"That is what I would have handed to the police." Ogata looked directly into Sai's eyes, "I will never hand you over… to anyone."

Abruptly, Sai picked up the little piece of plastic. He had no glue what type of power Ogata's family connection had, or if Ogata secretly owned some illegal operations that he can obtain these documents for him. The thing that he did know, was that with this little thing, Ogata had just given him an identity in the new era, the piece that was missing before. He could, technically, live and interact like any other person. He could learn to fit in, with a new life of his own. He was no longer a shadow that could not be seen or touched by others.

"This seemed unfair." Sai finally put it back down on the table, "Why did it seem like I'm the one that was being surprised as the truth was revealed?"

"Maybe because I was prepared… I'm mentally prepared to embrace whatever secrets you might have hidden in your closet as long as you're willing to share them with me… because I have decided to pursue you until you're mine… regardless of who you are…"

Sai widened his eyes, startled at hearing such a direct approach. His mouth suddenly felt dry, and he could feel his face go warm.

"Be mine…" said the soft, deep voice, like a temptation.

It was then Sai became aware, painfully aware, that Ogata was looking at him with an intense and unmistakable hunger. That look, this atmosphere, it was familiar…

There was no sound of footsteps. During the few short seconds where Sai phased out, Ogata had managed to cross the small table between them and sat himself on the sofa next to Sai. He was leaning closer… and closer… and closer...

_WAIT A MINUTE! _

Sai held up his hands. "OGATA! What are you thinking?"

Ogata seemed dismay that Sai was putting a distance between them. "We had a great date this evening – taking a drive around Tokyo to see the night lights together… and you agreed to come to my house after the date… What DO you think?"

"Da… DATE? Nightlights?" Sai gasped, "It wasn't a date! It was just you driving… and you took me to your house to interrogate me…"

"If you want to view it that way…" Ogata shrugged

"I'm leaving now!" Sai started to get up, when Ogata's hand on his wrist stopped him.

"Stay." Ogata said, "Stay here tonight. You don't want to go back and ruin things for Hikaru and Akira again, do you?"

"But…"

"Maybe they are making out at the hallway of the apartment… You don't want to go back and stumbled upon that and caused Akira to hate you more, do you?" Ogata released his hold on Sai, "You can stay at the guestroom. Don't worry, I won't attack you middle of the night or something like that… I was merely trying to distract you from feeling weird because of the earlier conversation we have… Come… you can wear my pajamas…"

X X X X X

Alone in the guestroom, Sai sat on the bed, unable to sleep. There was too much happening too fast. Being given another chance to live seemed like an opportunity most would want. But when it really happened, it was scary. Reawakened in the new millennium with so many things that were unfamiliar, Sai could only count his blessings that he had already lived a few years in spirit form in this era, and he had Hikaru as well as Ogata to count on.

He was wearing the pajamas Ogata lent him, which was a size too big for him. He imagined he could smell the unique scent of Ogata on the clothes, and it felt like he was being folded within the embrace of the other man. The sudden thought sent a spark through his spine; the blush earlier came back with a vengeance, and the temperature of his body rose…

There used to be only one man who could make him feel that way… one man with the same name… Ogata…

X X X X X

_"Slow down, Ogata!"_

_"You need to exercise more often; you're worse than an "oujisan" over 70 years old. Come' on, climbed up!" Despite the jesting words, Ogata did slow down and wait for his younger lover._

_"Not everyone is as well-trained as you, General Ogata." Sai gave Ogata a pointed look when he finally caught up. "The ability to climb a mountain is not what's required of a Go-sensei. Where are you taking me anyway? We have been walking for almost 2 hours now…"_

_"Well, we would have already been there, if not because someone has to finish a game before he can leave!"_

_"Leaving earlier or later wouldn't have any impact on the fact that we walked for more than 2 hours to an unknown destination…" Sai grumbled under his breath, making sure it was not loud enough for the ears of the other man. He knew he spent way too much time playing Go lately and Ogata had been feeling a little abandoned. It was great that they got to get out of the palace to spend some time together, and he really didn't want to spoil it._

_They had left the palace ground sometime in the afternoon. After riding for an hour, they came to a mountain and started hiking up the mountain. The surrounding was starting to get dark. Sai had to admit that he was a little spooked by the surrounding, but he knew Ogata wouldn't have asked him to come along if he hadn't feel safe. Sai was glad that those days with an over protective Ogata was over. It took a while for Ogata to adjust to the fact that Sai was no longer the child that needed to be rescued from a pond of toads. Though if Sai really fell into a pond full of toads, there was a huge possibility that Sai would still need rescuing; adult or not. The traumatic experience in childhood had left Sai a deep dislike of toads._

_The road up the mountain was winding and presented a little challenge to Sai. Ogata readily waited for Sai to make sure the younger man won't fell behind._

_"Come' on, hurry up, we're almost there, and we don't want to miss what we come all the way for!"_

_The two men continued to walk._

_"We're here."_

_For an instant, Sai forgot to breath._

_"It's beautiful!" Sai finally exclaimed softly, though had hardly came close to expressing the effect the view in front had on him. He'd never seen anything as enchanting. The views were simply breathtaking – they had reached a cliff on the mountain, and right in front of them, spectacular views of the horizon with a bright red sunset._

_Clearly delighted with Sai's reaction, Ogata stood beside him, "Beautiful, isn't it? I discovered this spot 2 weeks ago, when I was scouting this area based on reports of bandits being sighted in this mountain. I thought I would take you here. You don't see this type of sunset from behind the Palace."_

_Shreds of sunlight shone on the two men, standing side by side, enjoying each others' companies and the amazing sunset._

_"Ah-chew" A gush of wind blew and Sai sneezed._

_"Cold? Here," Ogata took off his outer layer of clothing and laid it on Sai's shoulder. Sai pulled the clothing tighter around him. He could still feel the heat from Ogata, as well as his scent. Smiling, Sai covered Ogata's hands with his own, then drew him close._

_"I know a better way of warming me up." Sai reached up and kissed Ogata._

_The clothing fell to the ground forgotten as the kiss intensified ... ..._

X X X X X

Those were fond memories of their time together.

Sai blinked himself back to reality. He had spent way too much time wondering about the past, especially when he was around Ogata. He sighed, fearing what he might discovered about his own feelings if he dwelled deep down inside.

_I'm not suitable for romantic relationship… not back then, and not now…_ Sai repeated in his mind. _GO is my love, my passion and my whole world... ..._

_It's time to move forward… There was simply no point remembering the past._

X X X X X

Miles away, that thought was echoed on another Go Genius' mind.

"Akira, I have told you everything about my past… however crazy they might be, they are the truth…"

"I believe you." Akira said quietly, after a long pause, "every word."

"I know you would belive me! Then you're not mad at me anymore? That I stood you up last time? We're back on good terms and you'll move back to the apartment?" Hikaru asked hopefully.

"Hikaru… "Akira looked at him somewhat sadly, "You don't understand, do you? Why did you think telling me the truth about Sai would solve the problem between us?"

"I… I thought… if you … understand…" Hikaru stumbled on words. Akira was supposed to forgive him once he told him the greatest secret. That was the plan, and things had been going the way he hoped until now.

"If I understand what? That he is special to you? Or that you share a special connection with him? Or that… he is your first love?" Each phrase came up more bitter than the last.

His words hit Hikaru like blocks of stone. "First love?" Was that his feelings for Sai? A denial was automatically forming on his lips. Yet he couldn't quite voice it. He wanted to tell Akira that wasn't true -- that what he felt for Sai was a different type of affection, nothing romantically related. However, he recalled how heartbroken he was when Sai had disappeared, and the long nights he stayed awake waiting for a miracle. Can he honestly deny he had no feelings for Sai?

"He is the one you truly love, isn't it? You even gave up Go when you thought you lost him. You gave up your promise to catch up with me. What else would you gave up for him? I know your fear of losing him again because you lost him once and you wanted to do everything to make it right this time. What am I? The past time in between? Hikaru, I admit I have feelings for you, but I'm not just going to stand here taking whatever's handed down after you offered to Sai first..."

An uncomfortable silence fell between the two.

"I might be leaving Japan soon. My father is asking me if I have any interest to join him in China. I'm giving it some serious thoughts. It is a good opportunity." Akira finally said, "Good bye, Hikaru. "

Turning his heel, Akira began walking away.

Hikaru stood there as if he had grown roots to his feet.

"WAIT!" It came up a wail and Hikaru was making no effort to keep his voice down.

He ran towards the boy that kept walking away and forcefully flung him around.

"Akira, you are right on a lot of things. Maybe… maybe Sai was my first love. Maybe, his unannounced departure devastated me. Maybe… if he hadn't left, things would have been different. I mean, he was the person who cared for me, who taught me everything. There were a lot of 'maybe's. BUT, I do know one thing that is not a maybe, that is, I like you. A lot. It was you who filled the empty spot in my heart when Sai left so abruptly. I... I love you, Akira."

Akira stood there, listening to Hikaru pouring his heart out. For a minute it looked like he wasn't going to say anything. Then, even under the pale lights Akira's eyes were noticeably moistened. With trembling lips, he asked Hikaru, "Do you mean it? Can I trust what you just said?"

"Sai will always be an important part of me. But when I moved into the apartment with you that day, I have decided I'm moving on."

Akira didn't resist as Hikaru embraced him, but instead clutched him closer.

TBC...

Notes: Sorry it took me so long to update this story… Finally I got one pair together. That left Ogata & Sai. Of course they're going to have more obstacles in their way, and their past will really start to interfere soon :) Please read & review! Thank you!


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

"Sai, I don't want you to do this."

Sai sighed in amusement. Hikaru glared at him. The glare would have made the most vicious Yakuza proud. He blocked the doorway with both hands extended, daring the other man to pass through him.

"Hikaru, it is a good arrangement." Sai smiled, explaining patiently, "You rented a two person apartment here. I can't keep sleeping on the floor. Besides, you and Akira finally got together. I don't want to squeeze in between you two love birds." Hikaru opened his mouth to protest, but Sai didn't give him a chance to voice any objection. "Ogata has a spare room in his apartment, which he has agreed to rent it to me at a super low price that you couldn't possibly find in the whole Japan."

"I need you here, Sai. You can't leave me." Hikaru was at the verge of tears. Last night, after the love confession and everything, he had spent a night at Akira's place. He truly enjoyed cuddling with Akira and had managed to sweet talk Akira into moving back to the apartment soon. He was in an excellent mood when he returned to the apartment in the afternoon, only to find that Sai had packed up whatever little luggage he had, and was going to move out. In about an hour, Ogata would be coming to pick him out.

"Hikaru," Sai called the name softly and Hikaru purposefully turned his head to the other side, ignoring the voice of Sai. The childish action brought a small smile to Sai. In some ways, Hikaru reminded Sai of his relationship with the "Ogata" from thousand years ago. He often saw himself in Hikaru. He had met Hikaru when Hikaru was still a child, and he was the boy's mentor as well as the closest friend one could possibly had. Hikaru admired him, and it was easy for him to simply keep Hikaru to himself. It was difficult to admit Hikaru had grown up and it's time to let go.

"Hikaru," Sai called again, firmly this time. Hikaru reluctantly looked at him and Sai could see the teenager was trying hard holding back tears. "You don't need me anymore. I've given you all the guidance you needed and you're on your way to becoming a great Go professional player. To become a legendary Go player, that's up to you and maybe together with Akira, you two can achieve it, but not with me. If I stay here, I will come between you and Akira. I envy what you and Akira have; two soul mates encouraging each other, competing against each other; it's something that I have hoped for myself..."

"But…"

"This is NOT farewell. I'm still living in Tokyo. I will become a Go professional soon. I think I will probably be seeing you every day at the Go Institute."

"Promise?"

"Yes," Sai stood in front of the younger boy, "Now can I get a hug before I go?"

Hikaru hugged Sai fiercely.

XXX

Sai waved at Hikaru, until the car turned the corner and Hikaru was no longer visible, before turning his attention to the driver of the red Ferrari. Ogata's face was as impassive as always, but Sai had a sneaking suspicion that he was smirking.

Sinking back to his seat, Sai said, "I don't know how I let you talk me into this."

"Because it's simply the best arrangement; for all four of us." Ogata answered.

"Why am I under the impression that you plotted all this?"

"Of course I plotted this." Ogata replied calmly, "We are Go players. This is how our minds worked. We think and we plot. You know I have my goal set on you. I wasn't about to let you spend day and night with that hormone rising teenager. Basic strategy of Go number 1: Connection -- Keeping one's own stones connected means that fewer groups need defense. So I need to keep you connected with me. Basic strategy of Go number 2: Cut -- Keeping opposing stones disconnected means that the opponent needs to defend more groups. So I need to keep you 'cut' away from Hikaru. Next strategy is 'Life': I just need to setup group to surround two "eyes" on you to permanently avoid you being captured by someone else. Just the core of Go playing, don't tell me you don't recognize them?"

Sai couldn't help but laughed, "Ai, I've been learning Go for much longer than you. We will see who is plotting who soon enough."

Ogata shrugged, "Either way that I'm looking at it, it's my gain with no potential lost. And don't forget the arrangement we agreed on regarding the form of payment for your rent." He deliberately eyed the other's torso up and down.

"Keep your eyes on the road, please. There wasn't even a slight chance of me forgetting that --. One game per month between you and me to settle the monthly rent. If I ever lost the game, I can pay with my body. Yes, I remembered the term vividly. But don't worry; I shall try my best not to lose the game."

"We shall see…"

X X X

Three months later.

"Congratulations! Sai-sensei. You're now officially a Professional Go player." Kadowaki raised his cup, "Let's have another toast!"

"Are you trying to get me drunk?" Sai smiled, accepting the offered cup and down it in one go.

Kadowaki's eyes widened. That had been his plan, but it would seem like the plan was bound to fail as he watched Sai drank the strong sake like soda. He had lost count on how much Sai had drank, yet it was not even showing the slightest effects of alcohol.

"I can hold my liquor." Sai winked at Kadowaki as another bottle of sake disappeared.

_Yes, definitely a bad plan._ Kadowaki thought. _And I'm going to be broke soon with the way he is drinking. I shouldn't have offered to pay for tonight's meal!_

Hours later, Sai returned to Ogata's apartment where he was now staying. He entered and the found the other man sitting on the couch reading some Go strategy book.

"Kadowaki took you drinking?"

Sai nodded.

Ogata grinned just slightly. _Baka, I've already tried that. It doesn't work. Alcohol simply doesn't work on Sai. _

As if sensing his thoughts, Sai sat down next to him and gave him a little smile, clearly indicating he was thinking about the same thing. Ogata had offered him a few bottles of excellent sake before asking him to play the "game" arranged to substitute his rent. Ogata had been surprised that he drank the large amount of sake like water, and still beat him at the Go game.

Ogata returned his attention to the Go book. A few minutes later, he looked at Sai, "What is it? You have been staring at me."

"Why aren't you shouting at me?"

Ogata raised one elegant eye brow. "Is there any reason to do that?"

Sai shrugged. "Maybe. I kind of expect you to be jealous and shouting at me to not go out with other people."

"That doesn't work, does it? That will only serve to push you away." Ogata removed his glasses and rubbed his temples, releasing some stress off reading all night. "Besides, I'm confident… that you only go out with Kadowaki in order to provoke me."

"What? That's totally…" Sai denied.

"Sai… Sai… I may be unable to see through your Go game, but outside of Go, you don't hide it that well." Ogata said calmly, "I have seen the way you look at me. The attraction is not as invisible as you think."

Hastily, Sai stood up and wanting to retreat to his own room.

"Running away again? Why are you always running away, Sai?" Ogata made no move to stop him, but asked instead, "Why?"

Why?

Years ago, it failed. Could he take another chance?

He thought General Ogata and him were meant to be together. Yet, they fell apart. He didn't even know when or what triggered it. Or, perhaps he knew all along…

X X X

"_When is he coming back?" _

"_I honestly don't know, Sai." Kimihiro sighed, wishing he could offer a different answer to his friend. _

_Lately, Sai had been asking that same question a lot. It was constantly on his mind after General Ogata left about two months ago, leading the soldiers into battles against an uprising. Since it wasn't his place as a Go sensei to be asking after any up-to-the-minute battles news, Sai was left guessing how the battles went and whether Ogata would be coming back soon. _

"_Hey, let's play a game." Kimihiro suggested. Playing Go always calmed Sai as he would solely concentrated on the game alone and thought about nothing else._

_Sai agreed, thinking the same thing himself. _

_Halfway through the game, both men noticed something was amiss. Sai wasn't concentrating, and the harder he pushed himself, the more he felt his concentration wavered. He was making mistakes that he wouldn't make since he was 10 years old. _

_The result of the game? Sai lost. For the first time ever, he lost to Kimihiro. _

"_Hey Sai, it's ok. You're just tired lately. Get some rest, ok?" Kimihiro tried to comfort his friend, whom seemingly was awed at his own defeat at the game. _

"_Ok. Don't worry about me, Kimihiro." Sai let out a sigh. "I'm going to stay out here for a minute longer. You go ahead."_

"_Alright, don't stay too long. It's quite late already."_

_Sai stared at the night sky, thinking about his ambition. His only dream since he first learned Go – to be the god of Go, to achieve the hand of god. He had vowed to never rest until he had accomplished that. _

_For the whole night, he simply sat there, until the sunrise woke him from his stance. _

_X X X_

_Weeks later, Ogata returned. He carried two battle wounds, one long gash on his arm, and another minor one on his torso. Both were non life threatening. He first went to the Emperor, to report the hard won victory. When the battles briefing were over, he only had one thing on his mind – Sai. _

_He found his younger lover waiting for him in the General's Mansion. They made passionate love that night, as if to make up for the whole 2 months._

_The next day, Ogata woke up only to find Sai had disappeared somewhere. A little dismay that Sai didn't stay by his side after his long absence, he went about looking for Sai. He wasn't happy where he found Sai. _

_Sai was teaching Go. That was already annoying enough for Ogata. In his mind, Sai should have stayed by his side instead of spending the next morning when he just came back from battle field teaching Go lesson. Adding to his annoyance, Sai's student was the son of a Heian's high Court Official, whom Ogata knew had more interest in the Go-sensei than in Go itself. _

_Ogata simply walked in and grabbed Sai from where he was sitting. _

_Sai yelped and nearly fell being grabbed so roughly. _

"_Oh, General Ogata. Good morning. I'm glad you have nothing more than a scratch from the vicious battles. You're the best General ever." The student, Minamoto, greeted Ogata politely. _

"_Thank you." Ogata answered, just as politely. His eyes, of course, were a complete different story. Fierce and piercing, conveying his message clearly: "You wish me dead so that you can woo Sai here into your bed. That's not going to happen so you can just forget it. Stay away from MY Sai." _

"_Ogata, we're in the middle of a teaching game here." Sai tried to pry himself out of Ogata's iron grips without looking too obvious._

_Ogata wouldn't bulge. _

"_I thought you have something else to do." That was his way of saying 'shut up and follow me'. It had worked well in the past, but Sai surprised him this time._

"_I don't remember I have any other commitment." Sai stood his ground. "You should stay in bed and get some rest. Of course, you may stay and watch the game if you wish, but please allow me to go on with the lesson." He then pried himself from Ogata's and sat down to continue the game. Minamoto grinned. _

_Burning with anger, Ogata wanted nothing more than just kicked the Goban away and scratched the smile out of Minamoto's face with his sword. Unfortunately, Minamoto belong to a powerful family, and he couldn't quite afford to do that. So he sat down, and watched the lesson progress. His temper boiled as Minamoto actually made no move to hit on his Go-sensei, but instead played the attentive, eager to learn student, leaving him no room to interrupt the session. _

_At the end of the day, Ogata had a big fight with Sai. He couldn't rebuff Sai stating that it was a perfectly normal Go learning session. Yet, he forbade the younger man to ever taught Minamoto again. Sai told him he will teach Go to anyone willing to learn. It's the responsibility of a good Go player to teach others, Sai had argued. _

_That heated discussion did not ended well, and it was merely the first of their many fights to come. _

XXX

"My ex-lover, one with the same name as you, Ogata… We continued to fight. I admit, I have less time for him, because I was busy with teaching Go, with playing Go. The fights got worse, until one night… it happened just a few months before I turned 25." Sai recalled sadly.

X X X

_Sai taught a group of court ladies until late at night. A few of them were showing some promising talent, and were enthusiastic with the moves Sai showed them. _

_When Sai returned to his place, he found Ogata waiting for him in cold fury. _

"_Care to explain yourself?"_

"_No, I don't see why I have to explain myself." Sai answered tiredly, "but since you insisted to know, I was teaching a group of court ladies Go."_

"_That's it. I had enough. I don't want you to play Go ever again!"_

_Sai's eyes widened. Ogata had said the most forbidden thing ever. _

_Looking at Ogata evenly, Sai said clearly, "I chose Go, a long time ago."_

"_What do you mean?" Ogata's voice was dangerously low._

"_I chose Go. We are over. I'm tired of these constant fights, these relentless questions. You never understand my passion for Go. You don't understand me. We are through."_

_Dead silence._

_Then, Sai felt his breath being knocked out of his chest as he was forcefully pushed against the wall. Ogata's hands were on his shoulders, gripping hard, "What did you say?"_

"_You heard me, Ogata." Sai said levelly, not backing down, "It's best for us, for both of us." He refused to show the pain he was feeling from Ogata crushing clutch on his shoulder. He merely continued to look at Ogata, with his clear, cold gaze. _

_After a long moment, Ogata let go of him. "Fine. If that's what you want. But don't come crawling back to me when your Go abandoned you."_

X X X

Ogata blew a puff of smoke and put out the cigarette.

"So you have one bad experience. You hit it with your mentor; not a good idea in the first place; who was a little controlling and couldn't take your career choice. Look, here's what people say, you need half the time of how long you guys were together to get over it. You have already a thousand years in between; you should be all healed up. It's time to give it another chance. I promised, if anything, at least you can be certain that I'm not going to ever try stopping you from playing Go. I love Go too much. I understand that much, at least."

"You made it sound so casual…"

"I may have the same name as your previous lover, but I'm a different person. I care for you, and I can sense you return my feelings. Why not give me a chance? Give yourself a chance too."

"I must be crazy…" Sai sighed.

Ogata smiled. He allowed Sai to get closer to him and took off his glasses.

"You have grey eyes." Sai looked into his eyes.

"And yours are purple." Ogata smiled, "They are pretty, and very unique. But if you could, please close them a little bit for now…" It was almost a whisper as their lips are now merely inches apart.

Sai gladly obliged, and Ogata concluded that his lips were softer and sweater than he could ever imagine.

X X X

Later in the night…

Ogata hugged Sai's naked torso closer to himself, marveling at the feeling of the silky skin against him. Sai made a sound but didn't wake up.

Lightly, Ogata brushed a block of the purple hair out of Sai's face. "Sleep on, my angel." Closing his own eyes, he let his own sated exhaustion took over and fell asleep.

Unseen to both, a pair of yellow eyes flashed.

_Finally, it's time to awaken your memory, Ogata. _

X X X

Ogata was certain he was dreaming. Yet it didn't look like a dream. It felt like he had been to this place.

He was walking down a long corridor, in an ancient looking building. It was night time. He didn't know where he was, but he seemed to know which way he should be heading. He walked past guards standing posts. They kept staring straight, seeing through him, which confirmed to Ogata that he was in a dream of some sort.

Then, he saw a man wearing Heian costume, who looked exactly like himself. Instinctively, he felt like he was this person.

Ogata wondered if he was dreaming about Sai's experience during Heian era. What a strange dream…

_Soon you will wish this is nothing but a dream…_

Who are you? Ogata asked the voices in his head. He received no answer.

_Watch. _

The voice said with a malice tone.

_Looked at what YOU have done. _

What do you mean? Ogata asked, but again there was no answer to his question. All he could do was stayed where he was and watched the scenes in front of him unfolded.

XXX

_General Ogata paced around, waiting for the person he just summoned. _

"_General, he is here." The guards announced, bringing in a man about 50 years old. _

_The man that just entered cast a speculating look at General Ogata, then bowed, "General Ogata, you are looking for me?"_

"_Leave us," General Ogata ordered the guards. Then, he walked slowly towards the man bowing before him._

"_Sakamoto, how long have you been the emperor's sensei for Go?" he asked._

_If the man named Sakamoto was surprised at the question, he showed none of it._

"_13 years, General." _

"_I see. It was a tradition of your family, isn't it? Your father was also the Go Sensei of the previous emperor. The same with your grandfather…" Ogata paused, "But, aren't you worried that this tradition might come to an end, at your generation? Fujiwara Sai, at the mere age of 23, has been appointed as the Emperor's sensei. You were 40 when you finally got that post."_

"_I'm not sure I follow, General." _

"_Oh, I'm sure you understand. I have seen the way you looked at Sai. The jealousy and hatred well hidden beneath your mask, but I saw everything."_

"_I would never…" Sakamoto began but Ogata cut him to it._

"_You NEVER try anything because you were afraid of me. You know, as everyone knows, if you try anything against Sai, you're against me. But – not – any – more." The words were spitted out like venom. _

"_General…" Sakamoto looked at Ogata now, a glint flashed behind his black eyes._

"_You are a clever man, Sakamoto." Ogata rose to his feet and faced him, "I want you to do what you always wanted to do."_

"_You mean…?" Sakamoto hesitated._

"_Do I have to spell out everything? Yes, I want you to find a way to get rid of Sai as the Emperor's Go sensei. No, better yet, make him unable to play Go from now on." Ogata said through clenched teeth, "I'm sure you will come up with a plan. Frame him or something. Either way, I want him to be unable to teach Go, unable to be a Go Professional anymore at the end of the day. You have my full support. Even if it backfired, you will always have enough gold to retire." _

_The man grinned. "My pleasure."_

"_Alright, let me know when you have a plan. Of course, no physical harm to Sai himself. I don't need you if that's what I wanted. You understand?"_

"_Yes, General." _

_After Sakamoto left, Ogata went to the window. Looking out, he saw the dwindling moon disappearing behind the clouds. This was a perfect night to plot something evil, he thought. _

"_Sai, don't blame me. You pushed me to do this. Do you think I'm just going to let go? If I can't make you leave Go, then I will make Go leaves you."_

To be continued…


	14. Chapter 14

"Interesting little scheme, wasn't it?"

Ogata looked around. The General who looked exactly like him had disappeared; as well as the building, the guards and the surroundings. It seemed like he was now floating in nothingness, with only a strange voice in his head as his company.

"Don't worry, I will show you more." Excitement laced the tone of the voice in his head. "There's much more for you to remember…"

Ogata had no sense of time in this strange space. Perhaps minutes later, he was "transported" to a different location. This time, it was at a building more magnificent than the previous one. A lot more guards were posted around the building as well. As usual, he walked past the guards with no one seeing him; confirming he must either be in spirit form, or merely a shadow of memory that didn't belong to this time period.

Inside, he saw a group of people gathering in silence. They were attentively staring at 2 people sitting at the center. At no time, he realized he was at a Go match.

"Oh, but not just any Go match." The voice in his head laughed, "Look more closely. It was THE match."

The match of Fate. The one that eventually killed Sai. The one that "_he himself"_ setup?

Ogata looked around. He saw the man who looked exactly like him sitting among the audience. There was a crooked grin on his face that he was trying hard to suppress. Ogata thought his own face looked somewhat --evil.

"Yes, yes… With a lover like you, no one needs an enemy…" Sensing his emotion, the voice in Ogata's head teased.

Refused to look at "himself" anymore, Ogata turned around and watched Sai play. He knew the outcome of this game. Yet, it didn't make it any easier seeing the disbelief on Sai's face as Sakamoto turned the table around by accusing Sai being the one who cheated. He could see Sai's concentration wavered after that. Sakamoto was a good player. Sai would need all his skill and concentration to defeat this opponent. Being emotionally shaken, Sai didn't stand a chance against Sakamoto.

"Sai lost".

The announcement was made. Whispers like busy bees spread throughout the high court official audience. Sai sat there, staring at the Go board in front of him in disbelief.

Ogata knelt next to Sai, wanting to offer the young man some comfort, but his hands passed through the other man's body like air. He couldn't help looking at his other self among the audience. There was concern in his eyes, yet the general made no move to console Sai.

"Emperor, Sai here has dishonored you by cheating in a Go game in front of you. He is not fit to be the Emperor's Go sensei. He is not fit to live in Heian City."

These words finally knocked some reaction out of Sai. He looked up suddenly, the sharp movement startled Ogata who was kneeling next to him.

"Emperor, Sai should be cast out and forbidden to return to the Heian City!"

Sai looked at the high court official that had just spoken. That was one of the highest ranking officials, known as the "Left hand" of the Emperor, who usually only spoken on matters of great importance such as safety of the city or tax on the nation. Why would he be speaking out with such strong convictions on a small incident of Go Sensei cheating?

"Cast out of Heian City?" The Emperor seemed hesitant, "That is a little harsh, isn't it?"

"Emperor, disrespect to you is not a small matter. This punishment is not too harsh. In fact, it should also be made known to the whole Heian of this incident, and that Sai should never be allowed to play or teach Go from this day on."

"Let me think about this." The Emperor replied. "I will have my verdict by tomorrow morning."

XXX

"_What is Sai doing now?" General Ogata asked the servant._

"_He has locked himself in his room. He has not seen or spoken to anyone." The servant replied. _

_General Ogata grinned. Everything had happened according to his plan. Sai would realize by now that he was the only one to turn to. There was no other person that could help Sai in this situation. General Ogata, with his power and influence at court, was the only one that could go to the Emperor and asked the Emperor to let Sai stay. Of course, General Ogata had no wish to clear Sai's name from the cheating accusation. Sai's reputation was as good as ruined and he would never be able to teach Go again in Heian. All the better. This meant Sai would not be ignoring him and playing Go all the time. _

_General Ogata waited._

_The night was long. He was certain Sai would be showing up any minute._

_Sai never came. _

X X X

The Emperor's decision came the next morning. It was the same as the high official had requested. Sai was to be cast out of Heian City immediately, and never allowed to play or teach Go again.

Ogata followed Sai around in his spirit form, watching the shattered Go player packed what little belongings he had. Sai packed slowly and his hands shaking. Ogata was half expecting his other self, the "General Ogata" to be barging in any minutes, but the other never came. Finally, Sai left the palace ground and walked towards the city gate. He may not know that he was bound on a one-way journey with no return trip, but certainly he was reluctant to go, as he walked as slowly as possible towards the outskirt of the city.

XXX

_"Where is he now?" General Ogata screamed at his servants. "Why? Why did he not come to me?"_

_"General, Sai has left the palace ground." The servant answered in fright, hoping his answer would not aggravate the General even more._

_"Sai, why?" General Ogata's both hands curled into fist tightly, "Why would you not come to me?"_

_Suddenly fear gripped his heart. _

_Sai had left. _

_Gone._

_What if he were never to see Sai again?_

_General Ogata shook his head. No, he wasn't going to let this happened. He got to see Sai again, and he would bring him back to the city._

(To be continued…)


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

_Making decisions, taking actions, and living with the consequences… __that was__ not foreign to General Ogata. These were almost the most crucial responsibilities of a General. During battles, one decision could differentiate between winning and loosing. One bad judgment could cost the lives of hundreds or more and a very bad one could easily cost his own life. General Ogata had always been good at accessing the situations and making the right moves to come up at the positive end. He could proudly say that, for the 30 something years that he ha__d__ lived, he ha__d__ always made pretty good decisions and they were __normally__ not easy ones to make. __Often, t__he decisions had to be made with very limited information given and only a short time for reactions, while the risks involved were high. Yes, some decisions could have been __made__ better, but he ha__d__ never regretted an__y__ of them. _

_That was, until today. He finally understood what true regret felt like. He had made the worst decision in his life, involving the person he cared for the most. Blinded by rage and jealousy, he had come up with a cruel plan against Sai. He had laid the trap, and had watched how Sai fell into it._

_Rushing __forward__ on his horse, with a dozen soldiers trailing behind him, General Ogata only wished it wouldn't be too late to make amendments. Burning with regre__t__ and anxiety, he __had__ sent out dozens of men searching for Sai. _

"_Just let me see him again…to apologize… to make things right…" General Ogata muttered under his breath, urging the poor beast carrying him to run faster. _

_Sai had half a day head start, but Sai was on foot. He and his men were on horses. They should be able to catch up __to__ Sai soon. _

_That was what General Ogata believed until they reached the outskirt__s__ of the city. _

_A strange mist appeared suddenly. The fog covered the mountainous landscape like a thick, grayish veil. _

_General Ogata couldn't see beyond the length of his hand. _

"_Spread out, search for any trails that will lead to Sai! Sent out a signal as soon as you discover any tracks__" _

_His command was met with a __monadic__ 'Yes!'._

_General Ogata watched his men disappea__r__ into the mist. The sound of their footsteps slowly moved out of his hearing range. Left alone, surrounded by the fog that seemed determined to stand between him and finding Sai, General Ogata rested his body against the horse. _

"_I've got to see you again… I've got to see you again…__B__efore it's too late…" __t__hat __were__ his only thought__s._

XXX

Miles away, a man was walking mindlessly along a little alley road.

The young man had a blank expression on his face, as if he had just lost the purpose of his life. The normally bright purple eyes were dull and lifeless. The wind blew his long purple hair in his face and there were small cuts on his feet from the long walking, but he seemed oblivious to any of these discomforts.

The spirit form of Ogata drifted next to him.

"Sai, don't do this!" Ogata tried to talk to him, knowing very well it would be useless. "Suicide won't make you happy, it will just make you dead! It doesn't end the pain!"

"Haha, is that what you're supposed to say to a suicidal person? They teach you that in the modern world?" the voice in his head chuckled.

"I have enough of you!" Ogata started yelling to the only one who could hear him in this strange dream, "I want to wake up now!"

"Alright, alright," the voice readily agreed, "Let's fast forward to the end, shall we?"

Whisk!!

Ogata blinked and the scenery changed. He was now standing beside a lake. He wasn't the only one standing there.

Sai stood at the edge of the lake.

Ogata knew what was coming next. Powerless to do anything, he moved closer to the young man that was about to kill himself.

"Ever since I could think, I have wanted to achieve the hand of god in Go," Sai suddenly started to speak.

Ogata nodded in agreement and then realized Sai wasn't really talking to him. Sai was talking to himself, speaking his last words.

"That was my path, my destiny," Sai sighed.

"It's all over now."

"I don't think I can even make a living. I don't have any other skills…" Sai added, as an afterthought.

Slowly sitting down on the ground, Sai closed his eyes. Tears started falling down his face.

"The worst of all this is that I know who was behind it, pulling the strings..." Sai murmured, his hands gripping the grass.

"I never imagined he would do something like this to me…"

When Sai opened his eyes again, Ogata was shocked to see an emotion that he hadn't seen before reflected there.

Hatred. Ogata had a good guess whom it was directed against.

"Ogata, I hate you," Sai continued to mutter, while standing up.

"I will never forgive you and you will never see me again!"

Without any hesitation, Sai dropped himself into the lake in front of him, with no desire to surface ever again.

XXX

_As mysterious__ly__ as it came, the fog that restricted the visibility and mobility of General Ogata and his men w__as__ suddenly gone. It dissipated as if its master had __commanded__ it to __leave__. At the same time, __Sai's__ track was found. _

_General Ogata covered the distance as fast as he could. _

_He reached the lake just a few moments too late. _

_His heart sank as he saw Sai's belongings, but no sign of Sai._

_The men volunteered to search the lake. _

_Ignoring __them__ all, General Ogata jumped into the lake himself. __A__f__ew moments later, he emerged with a body in his arms__… The__ ghostly pal__e__, chilly__-__cold, lifeless body of Sai. _

"_No" _

_It wasn't a loud scream. It was a low, painful__ choked out moan. General Ogata hugged the body close to himself. What had he done? _

_He had killed Sai._

_He __had__ murdered the one he loved._

_Pain. _

_Nothing except pain was left in General Ogata's shattered world. _

"_Well, well__…__" _

_A__ figure suddenly appeared. It was a man with a pair of yellow eyes._

_General Ogata's face showed a little reaction at seeing the figure in front of him. Loosening his hold __on__ Sai's dead body __slightly__, he glared __up__ at the half demon __that had__ appeared._

"_You! __…__Haraguroi!"_

Ogata was just as startled as his other self General Ogata. This figure that had just materialized had the same voice as the voice in his head. However, unlike the voice in his head, the figure that had appeared didn't seem to be able to see or hear him.

"Yeah, yeah, I thought you would have got it by now. We don't really exist in this dimension. We are like shadows, witnessing what is happening, but merely that. We can't change anything," the voice in Ogata's head answered him, sensing his thoughts.

_The figure called Haraguroi slowly walked towards General Ogata. His expression seemed sympathetic, but __that emotion__ didn't quite reach the pair of yellow eyes._

"_General Ogata, it has been several long years since I last saw you and your little friend here__…__"_

_Feigning a smile, he bent down, hovering over General Ogata_

"_Although your little friend seem__s__ to be a bit on the dead side here."_

"_Go away before I kill you__" General Ogata's tone was deadly._

"Oh yes, you are very dangerous, seeing how you could even bring yourself to plot and kill your own lover," Haraguroi laughed.

"Do you know what were his last words? He knew it was you, General. He died with a strong hatred for you."

"_You are a murderer… Ogata."_

_General Ogata stared at Haraguroi_

"_You…"_

XXX

"What happened next?" Ogata shouted as the images in front of him disappeared in a blink.

The voice in his head, or now he knew that this demon-human thing was called 'Haraguroi', laughed.

"I think that's enough memory I have awoken for you, reincarnation of General Ogata."

"This was merely a strange dream. I don't believe any of this!"

Even though he was saying this, deep down in his heart he knew that what was shown to him hadn't been just a dream. It was the truth behind Sai's painful event. Ogata could only be relieved that at least, after a thousand years, Sai no longer held the hatred.

"Hahaha How naïve of you!" Haraguroi laughed, "You think anyone can forgive something like that? General Ogata made a deal with the gods to seal off part of Sai's memory; the part about him being the one responsible behind Sai's tragedy. Ogata, you truly are the most selfish lover in the world! You even try to manipulate and control the memory of Sai's soul after his death!"

"I'm Ogata. I'm not that crazy General!" Ogata argued.

"Ah, we will see if Sai thinks the same!" Haraguroi grinned, "By the way, at the same time that I awakened your memory, I thought Sai should enjoy the same courtesy as well!"

XXX

"SAI!" Ogata screamed, waking up from his all too realistic dream. The lifeless body of Sai at the bottom of the lake, the hatred in Sai's eyes and Haraguroi's last words … The images played like a broken record in front of Ogata's eyes.

Then, he realized he was back in his own house, in his warm bed, and Sai was lying next to him, quite naked.

"It wasn't me. That was the … past? Or was that a dream?" Ogata shook his head, trying to find some sense for everything. He would like to believe it was a dream, but deep down, he knew it wasn't. It was the past. He had been that General Ogata.

Sai twisted in his arms and suddenly, his eyes were wide open.

"Sai…" Ogata called out softly.

Sai turned towards his voice and his eyes grew even wider, if possible. Then, scrambling away frantically, the anger/betrayal/hatred was as clear as a day in those purple eyes.

TBC…

Note: Special thanks to Aspar Lenis Lalapaya for beta-reading this so quickly!!


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Betrayal… Hatred… Anger…

Ogata never thought one's eyes could express so many different emotions all at once. Just moments ago, he saw the same purple orbs sparkle with love and care, and now those tender feelings were gone from those beautiful eyes, replaced with something ugly and they were channeled at him.

But he didn't even do anything!

It wasn't him. Ogata denied. It was some crazy feudal era warlord; who was messed up enough to lay down a death trap for his own lover. The difficult part was that he needed to convince Sai to see this the same way he did. It might not be an easy task.

"Sai…" Ogata tried reaching out to Sai who had now pushed himself against the far end of the bed, glaring at him. "It wasn't me… you have to understand."

"It was, is, you." Sai continued to glare; his whole body shaking with boiling emotions, "You! And you even took away my memory so that I won't remember any of it. I bet you even planned this, didn't you? I don't know what's wrong with you; thinking you can still have me after what you did."

"That's not fair!" Ogata argued, "Whatever happened, that was a thousand years ago, and has nothing to do with ME! Please understand. Look, Sai, I'm not from 1000 years ago, ok?!"

"Well, I am." Sai spoke in a harsh tone, "I'm leaving now and I never want to see you again."

Those words triggered a forceful memory from Ogata. It sent shivers down his spine and fear gripped his heart. Suddenly, the despair he witnessed moments ago in the dream where General Ogata lost Sai forever was no longer something foreign. Desperation formed in Ogata's heart until he could not think straight.

Acting completely without thinking, Ogata reached out and grabbed Sai who was trying to get out of the bed.

"Ouch" Sai gave a painful yelp as he lost his balance and fell to the floor. Ogata seized the opportunity and twisted both of Sai's wrists to the back with one hand. Working with the other free hand, Ogata tied Sai's hands together using the discarded clothes on the floor.

"Let me go!" Sai screamed, "What are you doing?"

Hugging Sai fiercely from behind, Ogata whispered into his ears, "I will never let you go. Don't… even… think… about … it… "

XXXXX

Staring at his cell phone, Hikaru frowned deeply.

"What's wrong?" Akira put down the book in his hand, "You have that worried expression for a while now. Something on your mind?"

"Yeah…" Hikaru hesitated, "I have called Sai a few times, but he didn't pick up. He didn't call me back as well."

"Maybe he forgot how to operate a cell phone…?" Akira offered.

"That's … possible, I guess." Hikaru answered, still staring at his cell phone, "But I just have a bad feeling. You saw how enthusiastic he was at learning the way to use a cell phone; I don't think he would forget. Besides, he is staying with Ogata, who could always help him if he indeed forgot. I'm worried. Really, really worried. What if he disappeared again? What if the kami-sama just decided to take him back again?"

"Er… If that happens, I'm sure Ogata-sensei would have called you."

As if on cue, the cell phone started ringing, and the caller ID showed "Ogata".

"Hello!" Hikaru flipped open his cell phone immediately, "This is Hikaru."

Akira looked at Hikaru. Whatever Ogata said on the other end was definitely not good news. Hikaru became frozen and the cell phone slipped from his hand. Akira was quick enough to catch it before the phone dropped to the floor.

"… Hello? Ogata Sensei?" Akira spoke into the phone hesitantly as Hikaru slowly knelt down onto the floor. "What happened?"

"Sai is gone. Disappeared. Evaporated." Ogata's voice was calm, "You should comfort Hikaru. He will never see Sai again." He then hung up the phone.

Akira knelt down next to Hikaru, who was now pouring down with tears.

"Not… again…" Hikaru sobbed, "He promised not to do this again… What's the purpose? Come and go? Is kami-sama playing with me?"

Akira hugged him tight. A suspicion was bugging him. He knew how Ogata felt about Sai. If Sai had truly disappeared, how could the other man be so calm? He contemplated whether he should tell Hikaru about it. On one hand, he couldn't deny he was a bit jealous of Hikaru's connection with Sai. Although he wouldn't do any harm to Sai, he was selfishly relived that Sai had disappeared. Summoned back by the gods. Gone. Something like that.

"I can't… This is too painful!" Hikaru choked, "Not again! I can't take this." He grabbed Akira tightly and his voice broke.

Akira hugged Hikaru closer to him. Should he offer what he knows? Or should he just left things the way it is? Not many people knew Ogata as well as he did, especially the few interesting facts about Ogata's background. If Ogata wanted somebody to disappear, and nobody tried very hard to find out what happened, the person just might never surfaced again.

Should he leave things this way? Akira pondered.

XXXXX

"Ogata sensei," Akira spoke quietly. They were at a very private room within a very secluded restaurant. "What did you do to Sai?"

Ogata lighted a cigarette and inhaled deeply.

"Sai is gone." Staring at the garden outside, Ogata answered.

"You lied." Akira decided to be bold. "If he is gone, it's because you made him disappear."

Ogata was silent.

"I didn't tell Hikaru I'm meeting you today." Akira said, "Please tell me what happened."

Ogata remained silent. He had a tired look on his face. Just as Akira thought he wouldn't get any answer, Ogata began to speak, "He was… at a safe place, where he can't disappeared on me without my permission."

Akira was slightly shocked to hear Ogata admit it so blatantly, "Why would you do that?"

"A thousand years ago, I lost him. I'm not about to let that happened again." Surprising even himself, Ogata proceeded to tell Akira the whole story; his previous life as General Ogata, the ugly truth behind Sai's fateful game, Sai's suicide, the demon-thing that visited them, and Sai's hatred… against him, as well as Sai's desire to never see him again.

Akira listened carefully.

"I can't lose him again. I can't make the same mistake my previous life made." Ogata concluded.

There was a long silence between the two of them.

Then, Akira slowly stood up.

"Ogata-sensei, you said you couldn't make the same mistake as "General Ogata". Did you realize what was the exact mistake that General Ogata made which pushed Sai away?"

Akira pulled the door open. Pausing, he said one more thing, "Have you forgotten how Sai seemed to fall into your lap out of nowhere? All things happened for a reason. If kami-sama wants to summon him back, is there really anything that you can do to keep him where you want? Don't make the same mistake. Don't mess up your second change."

With that, Akira left.

TBC


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Sai tugged at the door. It was locked, of course.

He had been kidnapped; held captive by Ogata at some location outside of Tokyo. He felt frustrated, and he couldn't clear his head about how he felt for Ogata now. He concentrated on his anger at the other man, for what he did a thousand years ago, and for what he was doing now.

"You want to get out of here?"

Suddenly a voice popped out of nowhere. Sai turned around and he saw a pair of yellow eyes. Slowly, the body of the owner of that pair of scary yellow eyes materialized in front of him. It had the face of a handsome young man. The only thing unnatural about it was the pair of shinny yellow eyes.

"You are… Haraguroi?" Sai said uncertainly. It had been a thousand years since he last encountered this creature.

"Yes. I'm glad you have a pretty good memory, or did I really leave such a long lasting impression on you?" Haraguroi smiled pleasantly. "Now, we can save the chit-chat for later. Would you like me to give you back your freedom?"

"Of course!" Sai nodded eagerly. He didn't care if this creature helping him had unclear motives. He was after all, betrayed by his own lover before. Nothing could be worse, and he didn't want to stay at this upscale prison another day.

"Alright, here we go!"

Puff! The room was totally empty with no sign of Haraguroi or Sai.

Moments later, the door opened and Ogata walked in, greeted by the sight of the empty room with no sign of Sai. Akira's words echoed in his mind. "Don't mess up the second chance." Was he too late now? Ogata sank onto the floor slowly.

XXX

Sai looked around his surrounding. He was back in Tokyo, at the Shusaku's museum.

"Why did you bring me here?"

Haraguroi grinned. "Your time is running up, and you have a decision to make."

"My time is up…?"

"Yes, didn't you notice?" Haraguroi's grin widened, "Nobody can see you anymore. You're in spirit form."

Sai jumped in front of a man passing by. The man kept walking straight as if Sai did not exist and was not in front of him. He was indeed back to the spirit form, the same situation he was in when he first met Hikaru.

"So what happens now?" Sai sighed.

"I'm not the one to tell you." Haraguroi said, "but here he is."

A man with dark eyes appeared out of thin air in front of Sai. He was dressed in kimono similar to what Sai used to wear.

"Who are you?" Sai asked. He was a spirit himself and one would expect a spirit should not be afraid of anything supernatural, but Sai could only say he was in unknown territory and he was more than a little frightened.

"Don't worry." The man smiled. He looked young, but his eyes betrayed the wisdom and experience that only came with age. This creature, whatever it was, had been around for a long time.

Sai recognized the voice. It was the same voice he heard in his head one time, warning him about his time running short.

"Who are you?" Sai asked again.

"I am the god of Go. You can call me Gokamisama"

"What?" This certainly wasn't the answer Sai expected to hear. He had been trying to achieve the hand of god for as long as a thousand years, but never in his life did he imagine meeting the god of Go.

"Is it really that surprising?" Gokamisama smiled, "For a spirit that had wondered around for a thousand years and lived through 3 lifetimes, you are surprisingly narrow minded."

"Forgive me." Sai wasn't sure what's the right thing to say, so he apologized.

"That's fine. Actually, I'm here for one reason," Gokamisama said calmly, "I'm giving you a chance to take over my place."

"What?" Sai was shocked beyond words.

"I don't want to be the god of Go anymore. Unfortunately, I don't have the luxury of simply "retired" or "quit". I need to find a replacement or else the god of Universe won't let me off the hook."

"This is too weird…" Sai mumbled…

"Is it really?" Gokamisama said simply, "Your skill has reached the lever of the gods, and once you took over as god of Go, you will have all eternity to play Go. You can play as much Go as you want… day and night… and you will meet many great opponents that you don't even know existed. Those from the world of gods, and those existed in the world of the demons…"

Sai only gasped with his mouth wide open.

"That is your dream, isn't it? Well, it's your dream comes true." Gokamisama smiled to him.

"What would happen to me if I become god of Go?" Sai finally asked.

"You will no longer belong to the world of human. You can travel freely between the world of the gods, the demons and the spirits, but you have to leave the world of men behind. It was against the rule of universe for us to live among the world of men."

"So I will never see Hikaru … or … Ogata again?"

"That's right. And one last thing, as the god of Go, you may not have a human lover. "

Sai went silent.

"You don't have to make your choice now. You have 3 days to decide. At this time, you will be back in your spirit form so that you can travel freely to visit Hikaru, or anyone of your choice. Just think about them and you will be there. You can even make yourself seen to the human eyes for 3 times during this period of time. After 3 days, you have to decide. Either becomes the god of Go or live out your life time as human and died at the end of your life."

"The clock starts now, Sai. Think wisely, and make a choice that you won't regret."

TBC

Next chapter should be the ending!


End file.
